Bengaluru, March 26 Global technology company Prosus and venture capital firm Accel have announced the six startups selected for the inaugural Atoms X LeapTech cohort, a joint initiative supporting founders in building pioneering companies from day one.
The cohort was selected from over 2,000 applications, according to a statement on Wednesday. The focus, it said, is on LeapTech – innovations that combine scientific breakthroughs, market opportunities, and engineering ambition to deliver significant impact.
"LeapTech requires conviction to build companies years before there is consensus. The quality of applications exceeded our expectations for Atoms X, showing how Indian founders around the world are building breakthroughs to commercialize science and create entirely new categories," said Pratik Agarwal, partner at Accel.
"We are excited to partner and work closely with the cohort to tackle fundamental problems with the long-term thinking required to create lasting, population-scale impact," Agarwal added.
The selected companies are Praan, QOSMIC, Dognosis, Ethereal Exploration Guild, Ferra, and one startup that is operating in stealth mode. They span diverse sectors, covering climate infrastructure, space communications, aerospace launch systems, brain-computer interfaces, and next-generation healthcare.
Under the Accel-Prosus alliance, Prosus matches Accel's investment in each company. This provides founders with long-term, global capital certainty to pursue complex, long-horizon ideas without compromise. The Atoms X program offers capital, mentorship, and access to global partners, according to the statement.
Ashutosh Sharma, head of India Ecosystem at Prosus, said they are thrilled with the caliber of founders in this cohort, tackling some of the most challenging problems in climate, space, and healthcare with genuine scientific depth.
"The overwhelming response to our inaugural cohort further reinforces our conviction that innovation in India is not limited by ideas or inspiration. It is limited by the right backing at the right time.
"Our role alongside Accel is to clear the path – whether that's capital, global networks, or operational muscle – so these founders can think in decades, not quarters," Sharma said.
The announcement builds on the broader Accel Atoms program launched in 2021, through which Accel has backed over 50 companies. These startups have collectively raised over USD 300 million in follow-on funding in their journey of building category-defining businesses.