Accel and Prosus have announced a new partnership to co-invest in Indian startups in early stages and expanding Accel’s Atoms X early-stage program.
Under this collaboration, Prosus will, for the first time, invest right from the formation stage and match Accel’s funding with initial cheques ranging from $100,000 to $1 million per company. The partnership will focus on startups building large-scale solutions across sectors such as automation, energy transition, internet services, and manufacturing.
Atoms X was designed to support what Accel calls “LeapTech” startups, founders working on systems-driven problems that could define India’s next decade of innovation. The program offers funding, mentorship, and access to Accel’s partner network.
Now, with Prosus joining in, founders not only gain early capital but also access to global scale, distribution, and regulatory experience especially useful for complex, infrastructure-heavy ideas. The move marks Prosus’ first step into day-zero investing, showing its intent to tap India’s growing pool of deep-tech and industrial innovation early on.
The partnership also strengthens India’s startup fabric at a time when early-stage funding has become more selective. Startups with longer gestation cycles such as those in AI, manufacturing, or climate tech will especially benefit from this kind of patient capital and global backing.
In practical terms, this initiative creates a more structured path for early founders: from pre-seed mentorship and seed cheques under Atoms X to matched follow-on capital and international scaling through Prosus’ network.
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