Global investment giants Accel and Prosus have announced a strategic partnership to fund Indian startups right from their inception — a first-of-its-kind move for Prosus. The collaboration aims to support founders building population-scale, technology-driven solutions that address critical challenges across automation, energy transition, internet services, and manufacturing.
The initiative is designed to foster a new wave of “leap tech” startups that focus on India’s unique structural and social challenges rather than replicating global business models. Under this partnership, Prosus will match Accel’s investment in each startup, with initial funding between $100,000 and $1 million, potentially scaling up as ventures mature.
“We feel now the time is right for the Indian startup ecosystem to move from adapting global businesses to creating Indian models that help India leapfrog its journey in becoming a developed country,” said Pratik Agarwal, Partner at Accel. He noted that early-stage startups working on large-scale impact often struggle to access patient capital. “Hopefully, we are bringing a lot more early capital to them at the right time so that they can make substantial progress without going through several rounds of false starts before they make progress,” he added.
The partnership builds on Accel’s Atoms X program, launched earlier this year to identify and nurture “leap tech” founders. Prosus, traditionally known for its late-stage investments in companies such as Swiggy, Meesho, and PayU, is making its debut in the formation-stage funding space through this alliance.
“We could both continue to do our own things in this space, but given how large the ambition is with these founders, and given how difficult a problem that they are trying to solve, it made all the sense for us to put our resources together,” said Ashutosh Sharma, Head of India Ecosystem at Prosus. He clarified that Prosus is not seeking proportional equity in the first round, adding, “For us, getting that equity in the first round is not important at all. If we can truly identify a Swiggy, a Meesho, an iFood, or a Tencent of tomorrow — today — that is success enough.”
The alliance also reflects India’s growing strategic importance amid shifting global capital flows and geopolitical realignments. With over a billion internet users, a strong digital public infrastructure, and a rapidly expanding tech talent base, India continues to attract global investors seeking scalable innovation opportunities. As Sharma summed up, the collaboration aims to position India as a key player in the “leap tech” revolution shaping the next phase of global innovation.
