Top-Level Exits Continue At Peak XV, CPO Anuj Sahai Joins League

Toplyne Founder Rishen Kapoor Returns To Peak XV

SUMMARY

Anuj Sahai, the chief product officer at Peak XV Partners, has stepped down after two years at the firm. This comes in continuation of a string of senior exits from India’s largest venture capital fund

Sahai joined the firm in April 2023, when it was still operating as Sequoia Capital India & SEA. He retained his role after the firm was rebranded as Peak XV following its split from Sequoia’s US arm

Peak XV has reportedly trimmed its fund size, lowered interest from 30% to 20%, and became more cautious with growth-stage bets

“After an eventful run as the chief product officer at PeakXV, I’m turning the page and looking forward to the next adventure. The role gave me a front-row seat to the startup ecosystem — partnering with founders and ideas that are shaping markets — and hands-on experience with AI technologies. Huge thanks to Peak XV Partners for the opportunity,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Sahai’s exit is the latest in a series of departures since the rebranding. In February, Abheek Anand and Shailesh Lakhani – both were managing directors – left the firm. Lakhani had spent over 17 years there and sat on the boards of major portfolio companies like Zetwerk, Ixigo, and HealthKart, while Anand had led investments in startups like Slice, Blinkit, and Cuemath.

Although Lakhani said his exit was for personal reasons, including spending more time with family, it came during a period of internal shake-ups at the firm.

In May, Suraj Agarwalla from the Growth team and Vedant Trivedi from the Surge team also quit. Trivedi has since joined an AI startup. In July, human capital director Anirudh Bose Mullick left to start his own venture, part of a broader trend of VC professionals turning founders.

The wave of exits follows a period of strategic restructuring. Since the rebranding from Sequoia Capital India and SEA to Peak XV in 2023, the firm has reduced the size of its $2.85 Bn fund by 16%, returning approximately $465 Mn to limited partners. It also shifted to a more industry-standard 2/20 compensation model and scaled back growth-stage investments.

Despite these shake-ups, Peak XV continues to hold a prominent position in India’s startup ecosystem, having backed unicorns such as CRED, Meesho, Groww, Mamaearth, and troubled Unacademy.

Sequoia Capital is now reportedly considering a return to India with potential investments in startups like fintech firm Vance.