Activate Closes Maiden USD 105 Mn Fund to Back AI Startups
Aakrit Vaish’s Activate closes maiden USD 105 million fund to back AI-native startups across India.
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Activate, a venture capital firm founded by former Haptik CEO Aakrit Vaish, has closed its maiden fund at USD 105 million, comprising an USD 85 million early-stage vehicle and USD 20 million deployed through growth investment vehicles. The fund closed within a year of its launch and 125% above its original target.
Founded in December 2025 by Vaish and former Together Fund partner Pratyush Choudhury, Activate backs AI-native startups from the pre-seed or idea stage. The firm’s LP base includes more than 50 founders and AI researchers, around a dozen global VC general partners, and more than 50 family offices and corporates. Notable backers include Vinod Khosla, General Catalyst, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Bhavin Turakhia and Ronnie Screwvala.
Activate has made 10 investments in nine months, including seven early-stage bets and growth investments in Sarvam AI, ElevenLabs and Wispr Flow. The firm plans to back around 25-30 startups in total, with first cheques typically ranging from USD 500,000 to USD 3 million.
Activate, a venture capital firm founded by former Haptik CEO Aakrit Vaish, has closed its maiden fund at USD 105 million, comprising an USD 85 million early-stage vehicle and USD 20 million deployed through growth investment vehicles. The fund closed within a year of its launch and 125% above its original target.
Founded in December 2025 by Vaish and former Together Fund partner Pratyush Choudhury, Activate backs AI-native startups from the pre-seed or idea stage. The firm’s LP base includes more than 50 founders and AI researchers, around a dozen global VC general partners, and more than 50 family offices and corporates. Notable backers include Vinod Khosla, General Catalyst, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Bhavin Turakhia and Ronnie Screwvala.
Activate has made 10 investments in nine months, including seven early-stage bets and growth investments in Sarvam AI, ElevenLabs and Wispr Flow. The firm plans to back around 25-30 startups in total, with first cheques typically ranging from USD 500,000 to USD 3 million.
