As India’s AI ecosystem gathers pace, Nvidia is moving closer to startups at their earliest stages. The chipmaker has rolled out a series of partnerships this week aimed at engaging founders even before their companies are formally set up. The strategy is designed to build long-term relationships with future customers in one of the world’s fastest-growing developer markets.
A key part of this push is a partnership with early-stage venture firm Activate. The firm plans to invest in about 25 to 30 AI startups from its $75 million debut fund, while offering its portfolio companies preferential access to Nvidia’s technical expertise. This move adds to other India-focused initiatives announced this week, including collaboration with nonprofit AI Grants India to support early-stage founders and new partnerships with venture firms focused on the country.
The developments come as India hosts its AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, bringing together major technology players such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was scheduled to attend but missed the event due to what the company described as unforeseen circumstances. A senior delegation led by executive vice president Jay Puri attended instead, meeting AI researchers, startups, developers and partners.
India has become one of the fastest-growing hubs for AI developers and startups, making it a key market for Nvidia’s chips and computing software. Aakrit Vaish, founder of Activate, said Nvidia’s engagement with Indian startups has previously been relatively light compared with the U.S., but the company now wants to work with founders much earlier. Activate, which Vaish calls focused on “inception investing,” connects with technical teams months before company formation. Its backers include Vinod Khosla, Aravind Srinivas, Shailendra Singh and Vijay Shekhar Sharma. Nvidia already supports more than 4,000 startups in India through its Inception program and has expanded partnerships with Accel, Peak XV, Z47, Elevation Capital and Nexus Venture Partners. It has also teamed up with AI Grants India, co-founded by Vaibhav Domkundwar and Bhasker (Bosky) Kode, to support more than 10,000 early-stage founders over the next 12 months. In November 2025, Nvidia joined the India Deep Tech Alliance alongside Accel, Blume Ventures, Premji Invest and Celesta Capital. According to Vaish, growing startups consume increasing AI compute over time, making early engagement strategically valuable for Nvidia.
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