Accel and Prosus have chosen six startups for their inaugural joint cohort in India, supporting what they call “off-the-map” concepts — companies tackling issues where markets remain undefined and progress is challenging to quantify.

The first cohort encompasses healthcare, climate, space, and longevity, showcasing a commitment to science-driven themes with extended development periods and unpredictable commercial trajectories. The six startups were chosen from over 2,000 submissions.

Here are the selected startups:

• Praan is working on air infrastructure systems to enhance indoor air quality through purification, sensing, and automated controls. The Mumbai-based startup has previously secured investments from backers including Social Impact Capital, Aera VC, and Avaana Capital, along with strategic investors and family offices.
• QOSMIC is creating optical communication systems for data transmission between satellites and Earth. The Bengaluru-based startup focuses on boosting bandwidth and minimizing latency in space-focused networks.
• Ethereal Exploration Guild, also referred to as EtherealX, is designing reusable orbital launch vehicles to decrease the cost of space access. The Bengaluru-based startup recently raised a $20.5 million Series A round led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital at an $80.5 million valuation.
• Dognosis is developing a method to detect various cancers through breath analysis, utilizing dogs’ olfactory abilities alongside robotics and AI. Its product, BreatheEasy, entails patients exhaling into a mask, with the sample subsequently examined in a lab to identify cancer-related markers.
• Ferra is developing a home-based strength-training system aimed at assisting individuals in maintaining mobility as they age. The system automatically adjusts resistance to correspond with the user’s performance.
• A sixth startup, currently in stealth mode, is focused on creating brain-computer interfaces that facilitate direct communication between the human brain and external systems.

Launched in October, the initiative aims to support startups that venture beyond the conventional playbook of the industry, rather than those that are easiest to fund, according to the firms.

Under the program, Accel and Prosus are co-investing in each startup, with Prosus matching Accel’s investment, and funding amounts ranging between $500,000 to $2 million. The companies are employing a structure that minimizes early dilution for founders, with a portion of the capital deferred, allowing for equity surrender at a later stage.

The firms assert that the model is tailored for startups with protracted development cycles. “More than funding, they require time to achieve those breakthroughs,” stated Pratik Agarwal (depicted above, left), partner at Accel.

These firms frequently pursue a non-linear trajectory, as noted by Ashutosh Sharma (depicted above, right), head of India ecosystem at Prosus. He remarked that progress hinges on attaining crucial technical milestones rather than consistent growth.