Rishen Kapoor Returns to Peak XV Partners After Toplyne’s Closure
Rishen Kapoor, the Co-founder and CEO of the SaaS startup Toplyne, has rejoined Peak XV Partners (formerly known as Sequoia Capital India & SEA) after completing a three-and-a-half-year journey. Kapoor’s return to Peak XV represents a significant homecoming, as he was an integral part of the firm’s investment team and played a crucial role in establishing Surge, their seed-stage program. He shared this news on LinkedIn and X, reflecting on the challenges and rewards he encountered while building Toplyne, and expressing his enthusiasm for returning to the venture capital arena.
“Building Toplyne was both rewarding and challenging. We had the privilege of collaborating with outstanding customers and colleagues, but ultimately, we faced the tough choice to wind down the business. The insights I gained from this experience will remain with me,” Kapoor remarked in his post.
Homecoming.
“After nearly four years of building Toplyne, I’ve rejoined @peakxvpartners (formerly Sequoia India & SEA). Peak XV has always felt like home. I’m thrilled to return and collaborate with founders who are shaping the future.”
— Rishen ツ (@rishenkapoor) January 6, 2025
About Toplyne
Toplyne, founded in 2021 by Kapoor, Ruchin Kulkarni, and Rohit Khanna, aimed to help businesses enhance their product-led growth strategies by converting freemium users into paying customers. The platform offered integration with a variety of CRM and analytics tools alongside product engagement platforms. With support from prominent investors such as Tiger Global, Peak XV, and Surge, Toplyne successfully secured $15 million in its Series A funding round in 2022. Although the company gained initial momentum and attracted a roster of high-profile clients, including Canva, BrowserStack, and Gather. Town, it encountered challenges in achieving its desired scale and securing product-market fit.
Prior to its shutdown, Toplyne successfully raised over $17 million from a variety of investors, including:
- Peak XV
- Tiger Global
- Surge
- Together Fund
- Angel investors like Kunal Shah and Harshil Mathur
