Aakrit Vaish, cofounder of Haptik, and former Together Fund investor Pratyush Choudhary have launched Activate, a new $75 million venture capital fund. This new entity is dedicated to empowering India's next generation of AI-native startups from their earliest stages. The fund debuts with significant backing from a global network of technology leaders and investors, signaling strong confidence in its mission to foster deep-tech innovation.
A New Force in India's AI Investment Landscape
Activate aims to inject capital into deep-tech ventures at the ideation level, with investment cheques ranging from $500,000 to $3 million. The fund's strategy is to engage with "technical crack teams" even before a company is formally established, providing foundational support. This hands-on, early-stage involvement is designed to help founders navigate the complexities of building groundbreaking AI solutions from the ground up.
The Visionaries Behind Activate
The fund is led by two seasoned figures in India's technology ecosystem, bringing a unique blend of entrepreneurial and investment acumen. Aakrit Vaish previously co-founded the conversational AI platform Haptik, which was acquired by Reliance Jio, and served on the IndiaAI Mission's advisory board. His experience provides deep operational insights into building and scaling a successful AI company within the Indian market.
Complementing Vaish's entrepreneurial background is Pratyush Choudhary, a former principal at Together Fund and an ex-AWS engineer. During his tenure, Choudhary led investments in several promising AI startups and cultivated APAC's largest GenAI community. His expertise lies in identifying nascent technical talent and guiding founders through crucial early-stage product development and strategy.
A Star-Studded Roster of Backers
Activate's strength is significantly amplified by its impressive roster of limited partners, featuring prominent names from both India and the US. The list includes luminaries such as Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, Perplexity founder Aravind Srinivas, and Peak XV Partners' Shailendra Singh. This network also includes key figures from OpenAI, Meta, and Tesla AI, offering unparalleled strategic value to its portfolio.
This powerful coalition of backers is more than just a source of capital; it serves as a strategic brain trust for portfolio companies. Founders backed by Activate will gain direct access to world-class expertise in AI research, infrastructure development, and global go-to-market strategies. This support system is a critical differentiator, designed to accelerate the growth and influence of emerging Indian AI ventures on a global scale.
Investment Thesis and Market Opportunity
The firm's investment thesis targets five key layers of the AI value stack, from physical infrastructure like data centers to foundational models and applications. Activate's philosophy is built on four core principles for founders: velocity, depth of domain expertise, product taste, and influence. This structured approach aims to identify and nurture companies with the potential to become global leaders in their respective niches.
The launch of Activate is timely, capitalizing on a surge of investor interest and innovation within India's burgeoning AI landscape. The sector is witnessing robust funding, significant investments from global tech giants like Google and Microsoft, and supportive government policies. This confluence of factors creates a fertile ground for the high-potential, technically-driven startups that Activate seeks to champion.
The establishment of Activate marks a significant milestone for India's technology startup ecosystem, providing targeted, expert-led capital for the AI revolution. By combining the operational experience of its founders with a world-class network of advisors, the fund is uniquely positioned to cultivate deep-tech innovation. Ultimately, Activate's success could play a pivotal role in shaping India's trajectory as a global AI powerhouse.