AI-powered search startup Perplexity has secured $200 million in fresh capital, bringing its valuation to a staggering $20 billion—just two months after a previous raise at an $18 billion valuation. This new funding, disclosed on September 10, 2025, further cements Perplexity’s position as a prime challenger to Google in the rapidly evolving AI-based search ecosystem. With $1.5 billion raised in just three years, Perplexity is moving at breakneck speed, outpacing many of its competitors and catching the attention of leading VC firms and tech-watchers globally. This information is firstly reported by The Information.
Rapid Revenue Growth and Aggressive Expansion
Perplexity’s financial momentum is as notable as its fundraising. According to sources and recent statements, its annual recurring revenue (ARR) is now nearing $200 million, up from $150 million just last month. The company’s AI search bot, known for providing concise, conversational answers, has won a dedicated following and is increasingly seen as a genuine alternative to traditional search engines. Last year, the startup even made headlines with a bold (and ultimately unsuccessful) bid to acquire Google Chrome for $34.5 billion, underscoring its ambitious vision to reshape the web’s gateway itself.
Product Innovation: Perplexity Finance Rolls Out Indian Stock Coverage
Beyond search, It has rolled out cutting-edge new features, such as Perplexity Finance. Now, Indian stocks are seamlessly monitored on the platform—users can query real-time prices, track performance, analyze earnings, and download historical data for BSE and NSE stocks, all through simple plain-language queries. New capabilities coming soon include:
- Natural language–powered stock price alerts
- Advanced stock screening tools
- Portfolio connection for truly personalized tracking
This move has led to an 8x surge in finance feature adoption in India since spring 2025, making financial market data instant, insightful, and free from traditional paywalls.
Expand AI Content Creation: New Video Generation Tools
Arvind Srinivasn led company isn’t only taking on the search market; it’s entering the AI video creation game, launching a feature for Pro and Max subscribers that enables custom video generation from single-line prompts—rivaling OpenAI’s Sora and signaling its’s intent to compete in multimodal AI content. With real-time, device-agnostic access, Perplexity aims to make advanced AI-powered content creation accessible to all.
Competing on the Global Stage: More Than Just Search
Perplexity’s rise comes at a critical inflection point for the web. As Google navigates regulatory scrutiny and new rivals emerge (notably OpenAI with Sora and a wave of specialized search startups), Perplexity’s conversational, knowledge-focused results stand out for clarity and speed. Industry supporters and users alike are watching to see if Perplexity’s AI approach and relentless innovation can win over global users—and force bigger incumbents to rethink what search can be.
Read this: This Indian Founder Wants to Buy Google Chrome and Perplexity AI for $50B
Final Thoughts
With a $20 billion valuation, a strong pipeline of new features, and a growing user base, it is making a serious play to reshape not just how we search, but how we interact with information, markets, and even media. Its mission—to bring AI-driven clarity, speed, and accessibility to search and finance—is increasingly resonating across markets and sectors. As regulatory battles, platform shifts, and user habits evolve, Perplexity looks set to remain at the front of tech’s next big wave.
