Aakrit Vaish’s Activate Closes Maiden VC Fund At $105 Mn To Back AI Startups

Aakrit Vaish's Activate VC firm has finalized its initial investment round, closing a $105 million (around ₹1,000 crore) fund within its first year of operation. The fund is split between an $85 million early-stage fund and $20 million allocated to dedicated growth investment vehicles. With a diverse investor base including over 50 founders, AI researchers, global VC partners, and family offices, Activate aims to invest in AI-native startups from their earliest stages.

The firm has already made 10 investments since its inception, focusing on AI applications, foundational models, and related areas. Notable backers include Vinod Khosla, General Catalyst, and Raghu Raghuram. Activate is also partnered with NVIDIA to provide its portfolio founders with access to NVIDIA's Nemotron open-source models, technical training, and other resources.

The firm's investment in Sarvam AI, a Bengaluru-based AI startup, was particularly significant, coming amid the company's $300 million Series B round.