Six Startups Selected for Inaugural Atoms X Programme by Accel and Prosus

Global technology investor Prosus and venture capital firm Accel have announced the first cohort of their Atoms X LeapTech programme, selecting six startups working on advanced technologies across climate, healthcare and space.

The inaugural cohort was chosen from more than 2,000 applications, highlighting growing interest among founders building science-driven companies from an early stage. The Atoms X initiative focuses on “LeapTech” ventures that combine scientific breakthroughs with engineering to address fundamental challenges.

The selected startups are:

● Praan: Building full-stack air infrastructure to optimise indoor air quality for human physiology, aiming to bring mountain-like air indoors through advanced purification, sensing and autonomous environmental control.

● QOSMIC: Developing optical communication systems to enable ultra-high-speed data transfer between satellites and Earth with significantly improved efficiency.

● Dognosis: Using canine olfaction combined with robotics and AI to detect multiple cancers from breath samples.

● Ethereal Exploration Guild: Building fully reusable orbital launch vehicles to reduce space launch costs and increase access to space.

● Ferra: Creating a guided home strength training system designed to help individuals maintain mobility and independence with minimal daily effort.

● Stealth Startup: One unnamed company in the cohort is developing advanced brain-computer interface technology.

Pratik Agarwal, Partner at Accel, said, “LeapTech requires conviction to build companies years before there is consensus. The quality of applications exceeded our expectations for Accel Atoms X, showing how Indian founders around the world are building breakthroughs to commercialise science and create all-new categories. We are excited to partner and work closely with the cohort to tackle foundational problems with the long-term thinking required to create enduring, population-scale impact.”

Ashutosh Sharma, Head of India Ecosystem at Prosus, said, “The overwhelming response to our inaugural cohort further builds our conviction that innovation in India is not constrained by ideas or inspiration. It is constrained by the right backing at the right time. We are thrilled with the calibre of founders in this cohort, who are tackling some of the hardest problems in climate, space and healthcare with genuine scientific depth.”

Under the partnership, Prosus matches Accel’s investment in each company, providing long-term capital and access to global networks. The programme builds on Accel’s Atoms initiative launched in 2021, which has supported over 50 startups that have collectively raised more than USD 300 million in follow-on funding. Applications for future Atoms X cohorts are currently under evaluation.