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Perplexity Raises $75 Million to Build India-Specific AI Search Infrastructure

By , Funding & Deals Editor4 min read
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Modern AI data centre corridor with blue-lit server racks

AI answer engine Perplexity has raised a $75 million strategic round from Reliance Jio, Peak XV and IVP to build sovereign India infrastructure, launch Hindi voice search and integrate with Jio ecosystem.

Key Facts

Key facts: Perplexity Raises $75 Million to Build India-Specific AI Search Infrastructure
DetailValue
Deal size$75 M
Valuation$18
HeadquartersBengaluru, India
SectorPerplexity
CoverageStartup Funding

AI-powered answer engine Perplexity announced a $75 million strategic round on June 30, 2026 to accelerate its India expansion, with Reliance Jio Platforms joining as a strategic investor alongside Peak XV Partners and IVP.


Round Details


  • Round size: $75 million
  • Structure: Strategic + financial
  • Lead investors: Reliance Jio Platforms, Peak XV
  • Participation: IVP, existing investor Nvidia
  • India valuation impact: Undisclosed; parent Perplexity last valued at $18B

  • What the Money Buys


  • India data centres in Mumbai and Chennai for sovereign inference
  • Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi voice models
  • Deep integration with Jio consumer apps (MyJio, JioCinema, JioSaavn)
  • India-specific pricing tier (Perplexity Pro at ₹499/month)
  • Team scale-up to 200+ in Bengaluru and Gurugram

  • Why It Matters


    The round mirrors OpenAI's Microsoft alignment: Perplexity gets India distribution through Jio's 480M subscriber base, and Jio gets a differentiated AI layer to compete with Airtel-Google and Vi-Meta partnerships. It also puts pressure on Sarvam AI and Krutrim to accelerate India LLM deployment.

    perplexityaireliance jiopeak xvindia llmjune 2026

    Reported by Rohit Menon. Spotted an error in this story? Request a correction or email corrections@startupory.com. See our editorial policy.

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