Tech
Accel, Prosus pick six ‘off-the-map’ startups for inaugural India cohort
Accel and Prosus have selected six startups for their first joint cohort in India, backing what they describe as “off-the-map” ideas — companies working on problems where markets are undefined and progress is difficult to measure.
The inaugural cohort spans healthcare, climate, space, and longevity, reflecting a focus on science-led themes with long development timelines and uncertain commercial pathways. The six startups were selected from more than 2,000 applications.
These are the selected startups:
- Praan is developing air infrastructure systems to improve indoor air quality using purification, sensing, and automated controls. The Mumbai-based startup has previously raised funding from investors including Social Impact Capital, Aera VC, and Avaana Capital, as well as strategic investors and family offices.
- QOSMIC is developing optical communication systems for data transfer between satellites and Earth. The Bengaluru-based startup is working on increasing bandwidth and reducing latency in space-based networks.
- Ethereal Exploration Guild, also known as EtherealX, is developing reusable orbital launch vehicles to lower the cost of accessing space. The Bengaluru-based startup last raised a $20.5 million Series A round led by TDK Ventures and BIG Capital at an $80.5 million valuation.
- Dognosis is working on detecting multiple cancers from breath, using dogs’ sense of smell along with robotics and AI. Its product, BreatheEasy, involves patients breathing into a mask, with the sample later analyzed in a lab to detect cancer-linked markers.
- Ferra is building a home-based strength-training system to help people maintain mobility as they age. The system adjusts resistance automatically to match a user’s performance.
- A sixth startup, operating in stealth, is developing brain-computer interfaces to enable direct communication between the human brain and external systems.
Announced in October, the program aims to back startups outside the industry’s usual playbook, rather than those that are easiest to fund, the firms said.
As part of the program, Accel and Prosus are co-investing in each startup, with Prosus matching Accel’s investment, and checks ranging from $500,000 to $2 million. The firms are using a structure that reduces early dilution for founders, with a portion of the capital deferred so equity is given up at a later stage.
The firms say the model is designed for startups with long development cycles. “More than capital, they require time to make those breakthroughs,” said Pratik Agarwal (pictured above, left), partner at Accel.
These companies often follow a non-linear path, according to Ashutosh Sharma (pictured above, right), head of India ecosystem at Prosus. Progress depends on achieving key technical breakthroughs rather than steady growth, he said.
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Glean’s top line crosses $300M as AI budget cutting becomes its major selling point
Glean, a company often described as the Google for enterprise, said it has reached $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), a three-fold increase from the $100 million milestone it reached just 15 months ago.
While many AI startups are growing at a blistering pace, Glean’s progress is particularly remarkable. After years of essentially being the only player in the category, the seven-year-old startup is accelerating its growth as tech giants enter the enterprise AI search market with rival products.
“The first four or five years of our existence, we had no competition,” Glean CEO Arvind Jain told TechCrunch. “Given how important search is to make AI work in the enterprise, every single company in the world wants to be in this space.”
Tech heavyweights building Glean-like tools include Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Salesforce, and Atlassian.
Jain maintains there’s value in being a first mover in the space, but that it’s also equally important to offer a better product.
What Glean does better than its competition, according to Jain, comes down to the deep understanding that its AI tools have of customers’ business needs. Glean’s AI achieves this knowledge — a concept captured by the new, popular term “context graph” — by connecting to and learning from enterprises’ internal software systems.
Jain claims that Glean’s context graph also helps enterprises cut AI computing costs.
“If you connect your AI to Glean, it gives you all the information that you need to do your work, and that results in AI consuming far fewer tokens compared to if you unleash AI onto your systems directly,” Jain said. That’s because with Glean, AI ends up performing fewer operations, he added.
At a time when many companies are blowing through their AI budgets, those token cost savings have become a major selling point for the company.
“One of the things you know our customers really like about Glean is the fact that we can reduce your AI bill significantly,” he said.
The company, which was last valued at $7.2 billion when it raised a $150 million Series F last June, offers various pricing structures to its customers, which include Databricks, Reddit, Pinterest, and Samsung.
According to Jain, Glean offers both a consumption-based model, where clients pay per use, and a hybrid model that combines a fixed monthly fee for active users with separate usage fees for model consumption.
Glean is definitely not the first company to do this, but it’s worth pointing out that the company’s $300 million milestone cannot be fully described as traditional ARR, because a consumption model by definition doesn’t have a strictly recurring component.
Pure consumption pricing models depend on fluctuating user activity rather than predictable subscription renewals, therefore a portion of Glean’s top line is more accurately described as an annualized revenue run rate.
Glean did not immediately respond to a request for comment; this post will be updated if the company replies.
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Tech
Final 24 hours to save up to $410 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ticket
This is it. The countdown is almost over. You now have until tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT to lock in Early Bird savings of up to $410 for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 before prices increase.
If Disrupt has been on your must-attend list, this is your final chance to secure the lowest available rates before the next price jump hits. Once the deadline passes, so do the savings.
Register now and join 10,000+ founders, investors, operators, and innovators at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 13–15 for three days packed with networking, startup discovery, and conversations shaping the future of tech. Bring a plus-one at 50%, or bring a group to get an up to 30% discount.
What makes Disrupt worth attending year after year
TechCrunch Disrupt is where startup momentum accelerates. The event brings together the people actively building, funding, and scaling what’s next across AI, fintech, SaaS, climate, cybersecurity, consumer tech, and beyond.
Attendees come to Disrupt for:
- Direct access to investors, founders, and operators making moves now.
- Conversations that lead to partnerships, funding, and hires.
- Tactical insights from leaders scaling breakout companies.
- An inside look at emerging technologies before they hit the mainstream.
With 300+ exhibiting startups, Startup Battlefield 200, curated networking experiences, and multiple stages of programming, Disrupt is built to help attendees make meaningful connections and real business progress.
Built for the people shaping what’s next
Disrupt is designed for founders raising capital, investors sourcing opportunities, operators scaling companies, and innovators looking for an edge. Whether you’re launching your next startup, growing your network, or tracking the future of technology, Disrupt puts you in the room with the people driving the industry forward.
Hear directly from tech leaders shaping the industry
Every year, Disrupt brings together hundreds of influential voices across startups and venture capital. Past speakers have included leaders from the companies and firms shaping the future of AI, enterprise software, fintech, consumer tech, and more.
This year will deliver the same high-caliber experience, with 200+ sessions across six industry-focused stages, plus roundtables and breakouts covering scaling, AI, fintech, infrastructure, robotics, and emerging technologies. Explore the growing agenda to see the latest sessions and speaker announcements.
Speakers include:
Savings of up to $410 end tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT
Early Bird savings of up to $410 end tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, ticket prices increase.
Register now to secure your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass at a low rate before the deadline expires. Bringing more than just you? Save 50% on a second ticket, or up to 30% on community passes.
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Today is the last day to apply to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 returns October 13–15 to Moscone West in San Francisco — and applications to speak are open for just a few more hours.
We’re inviting founders, investors, operators, and technology experts to apply for a chance to take the stage at one of the most influential tech events of the year.
More than 10,000 startup and VC leaders will gather at Disrupt 2026 to explore what’s next in AI, scaling, fintech, infrastructure, robotics, and the future of innovation.
Applications close tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now to share your expertise and help shape the conversations defining the tech industry.
Pick your session format
We’re looking for high-impact speakers to lead one of two session types:
Breakout Sessions: A 30-minute talk (up to 4 speakers, including a moderator) with a 20-minute audience Q&A. Capacity: 100 attendees.
Roundtables: A 30-minute speaker-led group discussion, designed for up to 40 participants. No slides or AV — just insight and conversation.
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Each application will be carefully reviewed by our editorial team. Finalists will be selected for the Audience Choice vote — where TechCrunch readers choose which sessions make it to the Disrupt Stage. Learn more about speaking on Disrupt’s Call for Content page.
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