Companion Labs, a Bengaluru, India-based consumer AI startup, has raised $2.5 million in seed funding.
Investors
The round was led by Peak XV Partners’ Surge, with participation from All In Capital, Untitled Ventures, DeVC, and several angel investors.
Peak XV Partners is a venture capital and growth-investing firm focused on India and Southeast Asia (SEA). Peak XV Partners’ Surge is the firm’s flagship early-stage startup platform, a scale-up program designed to help founders build enduring companies by combining seed capital, structured learning, and hands-on support from experienced operators and mentors. With over $9 billion in capital under management, Peak XV backs founders across all stages, from seed to late stage, in sectors such as technology, fintech, SaaS, and AI.
Companion Labs’ Use of Funds
The company will use the funds to accelerate product development, enhance AI capabilities, and refine offerings to achieve product–market fit.
About Companion Labs
Founded in early 2025 by Akshay Jhanwar and Ajit Pol, Companion Labs focuses on creating interactive, entertainment-led AI experiences specifically for India’s culturally diverse and vernacular-speaking audiences. The company builds AI-driven characters and narratives that enable users to explore alternate lives, careers, and aspirations in culturally relevant settings. Companion Labs supports vernacular languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, and Bengali, targeting India’s digitally native, young, and aspirational audience.
Funding Details
Company: Companion Labs, Inc.
Raised: $2.5M
Round: Seed
Funding Date: February 2026
Lead Investor: Peak XV Partners’ Surge
Additional Investors: All In Capital, Untitled Ventures, DeVC, angel investors
Company Website: https://companionlabs.co/
Software Category: Consumer AI / Interactive Entertainment
Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/en-in/news-and-trends/companion-labs-nailinit-and-wholeleaf-raise-early-stage/503057