Accel, Prosus select six ‘off-the-map’ startups for India’s startup team

Accel and Prosus have selected six startups for their first joint venture in India, supporting what they describe as “off-the-charts” ideas – companies working on challenges where markets are unknown and progress is difficult to measure.

The inaugural panel focuses on health, climate, space, and longevity, showing interest in science-driven topics with long development times and uncertain business strategies. Six startups were selected from over 2,000 applications.

Here are the starting options:

• The past is developing air conditioning systems to improve indoor air quality using cleaning, sensors, and automatic controls. The Mumbai-based startup was already there he was promoted funding from investors including Social Impact Capital, Aera VC, and Avaana Capital, as well strategic Investigation and family offices.
• QOSMIC share price is developing optical communication systems for transmitting data between satellites and Earth. A Bengaluru-based startup is working on increasing bandwidth and reducing latency in location-based networks.
• The Ethereal Exploration Groupalso known as EtherealX, is developing flexible startup cars to reduce the cost of space acquisition. Origin of Bengaluru last raised a $20.5 million Series A round led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital at a cost of $80.5 million.
• Order is working on detecting several types of cancer from the air, using dogs’ sense of smell along with robotics and AI. Its product, BreatheEasy, involves patients breathing into a mask, and the sample is then analyzed in a lab to detect cancer-related markers.
• Pour it is developing a home-based strength training program to help people stay active as they age. The system adjusts the resistance to match the user’s performance.
• A sixth startup, working stealthily, is developing brain-computer interfaces to enable direct communication between the human brain and external systems.

It was announced in October, the program aims to return startups outside of the company’s playbook, instead of those that are easier to get money from, the companies said.

As part of the program, Accel and Prosus are matching the initial funding, with Prosus matching Accel’s funding, with checks ranging from $500,000 to $2 million. These companies are using a system that minimizes the startup costs, and the capital is delayed so that the money is paid later.

The company says the model is designed for startups with long development times. “More than a lot of money, it takes time to grow,” said Pratik Agarwal (pictured above, left), partner at Accel.

These companies often follow a non-linear approach, according to Ashutosh Sharma (pictured above, right), head of India environment at Prosus. Progress depends on meeting technical requirements rather than continuing to grow, he said.