With Surge, we’ve always aspired to support outlier founders in building the future they see. That journey continues with Surge 11, our newest cohort.
On September 25, founders from 23 startups came together in Mumbai to kick off the program.
This group of ambitious doers and dreamers showcases a remarkable range of sectors: 12 AI startups across consumer, enterprise, and vertical markets; four fintech innovators; four consumer brands; and three infrastructure and developer tools companies.
What unites these founders is grit, the courage to tackle tough challenges, and a first-principles mindset. Surge 11 is also special for its eclectic mix, including many second-time founders, a legendary cricketer, and an Olympic swimming medallist.
Together, this cohort is reinventing what’s next for consumers, developers, and enterprises across India, APAC, and global markets.
Our three-day kickoff included Fireside Chats where leaders like Amrish Rau, Ronnie Screwvala, Adwaita Nayar, and Dheeraj Pandey spoke about what it takes to build an enduring company. Surge founders also heard from legends Sachin Tendulkar and Usain Bolt about the great rewards that come from resilience and discipline.
The event brought together founders from past cohorts for a reunion as well. Special shout-out to the amazing leaders of our Founder Circles who came to pay it forward by sharing their journeys:
- Kaushik Mudda (Ethereal Machines): Building a manufacturing powerhouse from India against all odds.
- Dhvanil Sheth (Skillmatics): Scaling a 700 Crore global consumer brand.
- Gaurav Baheti (Procol): On landing the first big enterprise win.
- Nishant Mittal (PingSafe): Product delight as a strategy.
- Varun Banka (Atlan): Winning Fortune 500 with product excellence.
- Vinay Maheshwari (The Health Factory): Scaling 100x on quick commerce.
- Shiva Dhawan & Rishabjit Singh (Attentive): Building AI products from the ground up.
- Saurabh Arora (Plum): Reinventing the org with AI across functions.
- Prashant Sachan (AppsForBharat): The ‘Building for Bharat’ playbook.
This is the kind of community we’re building: a place where founders learn from each other and are inspired to build the future they see.
It’s an honour to partner with Surge 11 founders as they reimagine tomorrow.
