Nvidia is ramping up its efforts to court Indian artificial intelligence startups early in their lifecycles, announcing a series of partnerships this week aimed at approaching founders even before the companies are formally established. The push aims to help AI chipmakers build relationships with future customers in one of the world’s fastest-growing developer markets.
This latest move comes through a partnership with early-stage venture firm Activate, which plans to back approximately 25 to 30 AI startups from its $75 million debut fund, while giving portfolio companies priority access to Nvidia’s technical expertise. The partnership follows other India-focused initiatives announced this week, including a collaboration with nonprofit AI Grants India, which supports early-stage founders, and a new relationship with a venture firm focused on the South Asian country.
This movement is gaining momentum as India hosts the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, with participation from top technology companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang was also scheduled to attend, but was absent from the event due to what the company called unforeseen circumstances. A senior delegation led by Executive Vice President Jay Puri attended on their behalf and met with AI researchers, startups, developers, and partners on the ground.
India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing countries for AI developers and startups, making it an increasingly important market for Nvidia as it seeks to expand adoption of its chips and computing software. By working more closely with founders early on, the company is positioned to capture long-term demand as new AI-native companies scale.
Activate founder Aakrit Vaish said NVIDIA’s involvement with startups in India has historically been relatively light compared to the U.S., but the chipmaker is now looking to work with founders much earlier in the journey. Activate aims to capitalize on this shift by directly connecting portfolio startups with Nvidia experts.
The VC firm, which Weish describes as focused on “early investments,” meets with the technology team months before the company launches and works closely with them as they grow. Its backers include venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, Perplexity co-founder Aravind Srinivas, Peak
For Nvidia, the logic behind partnering with early-stage ventures is simple. The earlier we build relationships with promising AI startups, the more likely they are to rely on Nvidia’s computing infrastructure as they scale. Vaish told TechCrunch that growing startups typically consume an increasing amount of AI computing over time, making early technology efforts valuable to chipmakers as a way to generate future business.
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Nvidia already has a large presence in India through its Inception program, which supports over 4,000 startups in India. This week, the chipmaker also expanded its ties with the local ecosystem, including partnerships with venture firms such as Accel, Peak XV, Z47, Elevation Capital, and Nexus Venture Partners to identify and fund AI startups. Separately, we partnered with AI Grants India, co-founded by Vaibhav Domkundwar and Bhasker (Bosky) Kode, to support over 10,000 early-stage founders over the next 12 months.
The company has also expanded its scope of startup support in India over time. In November 2025, Nvidia joined the India Deep Tech Alliance, a consortium of US and Indian investors including Accel, Blume Ventures, Premji Invest, and Celesta Capital, to provide strategic and technical guidance to emerging startups in the country.
Vaish said Activate’s partnership with Nvidia is designed to provide a more curated layer on top of the company’s extensive Inception program, which serves thousands of startups around the world. By serving as an early filter for high-potential technology teams, Activate aims to give portfolio companies direct and timely access to Nvidia’s engineering expertise.
The increased activity highlights growing competition among global technology companies looking to woo AI developers and startups in India, which has become one of the fastest-growing tech talent pools outside the United States.
