Meet The Startups Part Of Accel & Prosus’s First ‘Atoms X’ Cohort

VC firms Accel and Prosus have selected six early stage startups for their inaugural Atoms X cohort, an initiative the duo collaborated on last year to back founders building “breakthrough, science-led innovations from day zero”.

“These companies are tackling foundational, long-horizon challenges across climate infrastructure, space access, and next-generation healthcare to deliver a step-function change in the human experience,” the VC firms said in a statement today. 

The duo announced their collaboration in October 2025 with an intent  to co-invest in emerging Indian deeptech startups. As part of the partnership, Prosus will match Accel’s capital commitments to invest in startups at the seed stage and beyond. 

Accel launched its Atoms programme in 2021 as a pre-seed scaling initiative supporting early stage startups. Later, Accel expanded the Atoms program to include two distinct tracks – Atoms AI and Atoms X. Atoms X was announced as a new track focused on “LeapTech” startups, which the firm says goes beyond deeptech. 

Under the programme, Accel and Prosus are reportedly co-investing in each startup, with cheque sizes ranging from $500K to $2 Mn. The investment structure is designed in a way that helps founders retain more ownership in the early stages by postponing part of the equity allocation to a later point.

The VC firms claim to have sifted through over 2,000 applications to zero in on the six startups suitable for the programme. 

The selected startups include Praan, QOSMIC, Dognosis, Ferra, EtherealX, and one stealth startup working on brain computer interfaces. 

With that, here’s a look at the startups selected for the inaugural Atoms X cohort. 

Praan

Founded: 2017

Founder: Angad Daryani

Headquarters: San Francisco and Mumbai

Praan is a deeptech startup which builds filter-less air purifiers for large indoor and outdoor spaces. Instead of using replaceable paper filters, its systems use electricity and multi needlepoint ionisation technology to capture dust, pollution, and harmful particles such as PM1, PM2.5, and PM10. The startup provides a cost effective and low maintenance alternative to traditional air purification systems while also managing factors like temperature, humidity, pressure, and CO2.

QOSMIC

Founded: 2024

Founders: Shreyaans Jain, Rohit Ramakrishnan, and Aloke Kumar

Headquarters: Bengaluru

QOSMIC is building space based optical communication infrastructure using laser technology to replace traditional radio frequency systems. Its platform aims to tackle data bottlenecks in space missions by enabling faster and more efficient communication between satellites and Earth. For this, the startup is creating a network of optical ground stations and satellite payloads, creating a high speed communication layer that is both more secure and cost efficient.

Dognosis

Founded: 2023

Founders: Akash Kulgod and Itamar Bitan

Headquarters: Bengaluru

Dognosis is a healthtech startup focused on breath based diagnostics and canine cognition. It uses trained dogs along with artificial intelligence to detect diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, and COVID 19 at early stages. Its non-invasive test involves collecting breath samples, which are analysed using a combination of canine detection, brain computer interface signals, and AI driven software to generate diagnostic insights at a lower cost.

Ferra

Founded: 2024

Founders: Rohit Patel and Anurag Dani

Headquarters: Bengaluru

Ferra is a longevity focused brand that has developed a home based strength training system designed for older adults. Its flagship device uses adaptive resistance technology to deliver safe and efficient workouts while reducing strain on joints. 

The brand is a subsidiary of Chiratae Ventures’ backed Aeroleap, which offers wall-mounted smart home gyms designed to replace a full gym setup.

EtherealX

Founded: 2022

Founders: Manu J Nair, Shubhayu Sardar, and Prashant Sharma

Headquarters: Bengaluru

EtherealX is a spacetech startup developing fully reusable medium lift launch vehicles to reduce the cost of space transportation. Its flagship rocket is designed to return both booster and upper stages after launch. The startup is also building its own engines for different stages of the vehicle, aiming to improve efficiency and payload capacity for satellite and cargo missions.

Stealth Startup

The sixth startup is operating in stealth mode and is reportedly working on brain computer interface technology. It aims to enable direct communication between the human brain and external systems, pushing the boundaries of human computer interaction by allowing devices to be controlled through thought.

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