Nvidia expands early push into India’s AI startup

Nvidia is stepping up its efforts to get Indian startups earlier in life, unveiling a series of partnerships this week aimed at reaching startups even before their companies are established. The push is aimed at helping the AI ​​chipmaker develop relationships with future customers in one of the world’s fastest growing markets.

The latest move comes as a result of a partnership with the startup company Activate itwhich plans to back 25 to 30 AI startups from its first $75 million fund while offering access to companies with access to Nvidia’s technology expertise. The partnership follows other Indian initiatives unveiled this week, including working with non-profit AI Grants India to support early stage startups and new partnerships with businesses targeting the South Asian nation.

A lot of jobs are coming when India is doing it AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, drawing top tech companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang was supposed to attend but skipped the event due to what the company called an unforeseen event. A large delegation led by senior vice president Jay Puri attended instead, meeting with AI researchers, startups, developers, and partners on the ground.

India has emerged as one of the fastest growing pools of AI developers and startups, making it a key market for Nvidia as it looks to expand the adoption of chips and computer software. By working with early adopters, the company is positioning itself to meet the long-term needs of the new AI industry.

Aakrit Vaish, the founder of Activate, said that Nvidia’s interaction with startups in India has been easier compared to the US, but the chipmaker now wants to work with startups that are already on their journey. Launch aims to accelerate this change by connecting startups directly with Nvidia experts.

The VC firm, which Vaish describes as focused on “seed investing,” meets with tech teams months before a company is formed and works with them as they grow. Its backers include venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, Perplexity co-founder Aravind Srinivas, Peak XV CEO Shailendra Singh, and Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, emphasizing the popular network Activate is gathering around its startup strategy.

For Nvidia, the logic of partnering with a start-up company is straightforward: the earlier it builds relationships with promising AI startups, the more those companies will rely on its computing systems as they grow. Vaish told TechCrunch that growing startups often outshine the AI ​​ecosystem over time, making early technology integrations important to the chip maker as a way to build future business.

Nvidia already has a large presence in the country through its own Basic programwhich supports more than 4,000 startups in India. This week, the chipmaker too he developed his relationship with natureincluding partnerships with venture capital firms such as Accel, Peak XV, Z47, Elevation Capital, and Nexus Venture Partners to identify and support AI startups. It has partnered separately with AI Grants India, founded by Vaibhav Domkundwar and Bhasker (Bosky) Kode, to support 10,000 startups over the next 12 months.

The company has been expanding its footprint in India over time. In November 2025, Nvidia joined India Deep Tech Alliancea group of US and Indian investors including Accel, Blume Ventures, Premji Invest, and Celesta Capital, to provide technical guidance to emerging startups in the country.

Vaish said Activate’s partnership with Nvidia is designed to provide a stable layer on top of the company’s startup software, which supports thousands of startups around the world. Acting as the primary filter for high-end technology groups, Launch aims to provide its companies with direct, timely access to Nvidia’s technology.

The increased activity reflects growing competition between global tech companies to court AI developers and startups in India, which has become one of the fastest-growing industries outside of the US.