Shraeyansh Thakur leaving Peak XV Partners after nearly a decade, to start his own startup

In a move that marks yet another high-profile exit from Peak XV Partners, investor Shraeyansh Thakur has announced he is leaving the venture capital firm after nearly 10 years.

Thakur, who joined what was then Sequoia Capital India and Southeast Asia, shared the news in a LinkedIn post, saying he plans to embark on a new entrepreneurial journey.

Shraeyansh Thakur shares LinkedIn post

Long-standing role at the firm

Thakur has served on the boards of several notable startups, including Apna Mart and Cars24, and acted as a board observer for e-commerce unicorn Meesho. He was also involved with emerging ventures such as Atlys, Unacademy, Zetwerk, Urban Piper and Bijnis.

In his post, Thakur said he was inspired by the passion and determination he witnessed among entrepreneurs and felt compelled to pursue his own dreams.

“It’s hard not to feel the entrepreneurial energy from seeing these journeys up close. I’m grateful to my partners and colleagues at Peak XV for giving me such a wonderful opportunity and the platform to have learnt so much about investing. It’s been a privilege to have worked with such smart people and learn from them over the years,” Thakur wrote, adding that he believes the next 10 years could be India’s “golden digital decade.”

Series of top-level departures

Thakur’s departure is the fifth major exit from Peak XV in the past year. Managing directors Shailesh Lakhani and Abheek Anand stepped down last month after long tenures, while Surge partner Anandamoy Roychowdhary left in November following more than a decade at the firm.

Earlier, Piyush Gupta, then a managing director, exited to launch his own secondary-focused fund, Kenro Capital.

Amid these changes, SaaS startup Toplyne’s co-founder and CEO, Rishen Kapoor, has returned to Peak XV Partners after closing his venture. Kapoor’s comeback stands out at a time when the firm has been revising its strategies to adapt to evolving market conditions.

Fund restructuring and new investment approach

Last year, Peak XV decided to reduce its 2022 vintage fund of $2.85 billion by 16%, or $465 million, to align its investments more carefully with market realities.

In an announcement, the firm said it was proceeding “in a measured manner” for its growth fund due to “a richly priced public market in India,” while it continued to back seed and venture-stage opportunities.

The firm also cut management fees on some of its growth and multi-stage funds, moving to a standard 2% management fee and a 20% share of profits.

Previously, it had worked with a 2.5% management fee and 30% carried interest, which was higher than most industry standards. Meanwhile, seed and venture funds remain unchanged.