Peak XV Launches Spark Fellowship for Female Founders, Supporting Innovation

• ByStartupStory     |    February 26, 2024

Peak XV, formerly known as Sequoia Capital India & SEA, has unveiled the third cohort of its Spark fellowship aimed at female founders. A total of 14 companies and 16 female founders have been selected to participate in Spark 03, marking a significant milestone for the initiative. “Of the many applications we received for this cohort of Spark, these 16 founders really impressed us with their ambition, first principles thinking, and rich operating experience. Many of them are second-time founders. We are excited to see them develop into leaders of tomorrow,” expressed Sakshi Chopra, MD of Peak XV.

The latest cohort expands Peak XV’s curated community of startups, which now encompasses 48 founders and 41 startups spanning over 10 sectors in less than three years. Among the participating companies, four specialize in artificial intelligence (AI) – RaptorX.ai, FOBOH, Traverse, and Wordsworth AI – while an equal number focus on healthcare (BabyMD, Soulside, Evenly, and Stealth). Other ventures include Profit Peak, an SaaS for e-commerce businesses; Fix My Curls, a hair care brand; Meritic, aiding mid-market firms in automating their reporting and analysis; Melvvi, crafting handmade and sustainable lifestyle products; CHOSEN, producing high-performance skincare products; and Sourced, constructing an AI-powered consignment platform.

Peak XV’s ‘Spark’ initiative offers a four-month-long program, coupled with a $100,000 equity-free grant, designed for female founders in the early stages of their startups. Each selected startup receives perks exceeding $1 million from various companies, including cloud credits, devtools, analytics, and more.

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