Aravind Srinivas
About Aravind Srinivas
Aravind Srinivas was born in Chennai, India. He earned a B.Tech and M.Tech in electrical engineering at IIT Madras, then a PhD in computer science at UC Berkeley. He did research internships at OpenAI, DeepMind and Google, and returned to OpenAI as a research scientist in 2021.
In August 2022 he co-founded Perplexity AI with Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats and Johnny Ho. Perplexity is an AI answer engine that responds to questions with cited sources. Srinivas is its CEO. Crunchbase lists Perplexity as the one company he has founded.
His LinkedIn profile lists an angel investor role starting in January 2023. Crunchbase counts 18 investments for him. It shows no lead investments and no exits.
He usually appears as one of several angels in a round. Crunchbase shows him alongside 5 other investors in Animation Inc. (May 2024) and Maximor AI (September 2025). The Extropic seed announcement in December 2023 named him among its angels. In India, Analytics India Magazine reported he had earlier committed $1 million, plus mentorship, to support Indian AI initiatives. It also reported he joined the sales-agent startup Astra as an angel.
Crunchbase records 16 AI investments by him since 2023. Recent activity includes Fundamental (February 2026) and Prime Intellect (Series A). The Lounge deals desk also lists two recent AI rounds: Architect Seed, $24M (June 2026), and ActionAI Seed, $10M (April 2026). Crunchbase lists him as an investor in the Architect seed round. We have not confirmed his role in ActionAI.
His LinkedIn profile names more angel holdings, including Cursor, Suno, Mistral, Cognition, Lovable, Fal and Mixedbread. Press coverage also names Udio.
His backing is concentrated in AI-first companies across developer tools, voice and video, AI infrastructure and foundation-model research. The IIT Madras alumni page describes this range. His investments are mostly in early rounds, including seed and Series A. He has also backed agentic AI products such as Astra's sales agent. Tracxn lists his investments in the United States, the United Kingdom and one other country.
We found no public statement of his check size or a formal thesis. Founders should treat both as unknown.
- ElevenLabs: AI voice and audio company. Listed in his Crunchbase AI portfolio and in press coverage.
- Pika: AI video generation company. Listed in his Crunchbase AI portfolio and in press coverage.
- Prime Intellect: AI compute and training company. He is listed in its Series A on Crunchbase.
- LiveKit: real-time voice and video infrastructure for developers. He is listed in its Series A on Crunchbase.
- Extropic AI: AI hardware company. He was a named angel in its $14.1M seed announced in December 2023.
- Architect: He is listed in its seed round on Crunchbase, June 2026.
- Fundamental: He is listed as an investor in its round reported in February 2026.
- Astra: AI sales agent startup founded in 2023. He joined as an angel, per Analytics India Magazine.
- Animation Inc., howie, Brain Co., Friend, Antimetal: also in his Crunchbase AI portfolio. Animation Inc. dates to May 2024 and howie to 2025.
- crunchbase.com/person/aravind-srinivas
- crunchbase.com/person/aravind-srinivas/person_overview_investor/timeli
- linkedin.com/in/aravind-srinivas-16051987
- analyticsindiamag.com/ai-news-updates/perplexity-co-founder-aravind-sr
- theaiinsider.tech/2023/12/07/extropic-announces-its-14-1m-seed-round
- dnaindia.com/business/report-meet-aravind-srinivas-iit-graduate-perple
- acr.iitm.ac.in/latestyaas/dr-aravind-srinivas
- tracxn.com/d/people/aravind-srinivas/__zJZ6aBJUB2cFOfYx87NoWG3P3YRrRtC
AI portfolio
Investing activity
Aravind Srinivas has made 18 investments according to Crunchbase. 16 of those investments since 2023 were in AI companies, including LiveKit, Animation Inc., Architect, Friend and Extropic AI.
Aravind Srinivas appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $24M. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $24M. The most recent are Architect (Seed, $24M, Jun 2026) and ActionAI (Seed, $10M, Apr 2026).
Aravind Srinivas most often invests alongside Kindred Ventures, Alexander Wissner-Gross, Srinivas Narayanan and Together Fund, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Aravind Srinivas
Does Aravind Srinivas invest in AI startups?
Yes. Crunchbase records 16 AI investments by him since 2023. They include ElevenLabs, Pika, Prime Intellect, LiveKit and Architect.
What is Aravind Srinivas's angel check size?
He has not made a check size public, and we found no reliable source for one. Analytics India Magazine reported he committed $1 million to support Indian AI initiatives. That is not a per-deal check size.
What stage does Aravind Srinivas invest in?
His documented investments are mostly early-stage rounds such as seed and Series A. Crunchbase shows no lead investments, so he usually joins rounds led by others.
Is Aravind Srinivas the CEO of Perplexity?
Yes. He co-founded Perplexity in August 2022 with Andy Konwinski, Denis Yarats and Johnny Ho, and he is its CEO.
How can founders contact Aravind Srinivas about an investment?
Founders can reach him through his LinkedIn profile. We found no public email, application form or stated pitch process. Warm introductions from shared investors or founders are a common route for angels.
Is Aravind Srinivas an angel investor?
Yes. Aravind Srinivas invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 18 investments.
What AI companies has Aravind Srinivas invested in?
Aravind Srinivas's AI investments include LiveKit, Animation Inc., Architect, Friend, Extropic AI, howie, Prime Intellect and Brain Co.. The 2 rounds on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Aravind Srinivas based?
Aravind Srinivas is based in Berkeley, United States.
What stage does Aravind Srinivas invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Aravind Srinivas has invested at Seed, with a median round of $24M.
Who does Aravind Srinivas co-invest with?
Aravind Srinivas's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Kindred Ventures (1 deal), Alexander Wissner-Gross (1 deal), Srinivas Narayanan (1 deal), Together Fund (1 deal) and Shaad Khan (1 deal).