RT team
Accel partner Prashanth Prakash envisions India as a thriving hub for IP-driven innovation and high-tech industrialization. Speaking at TiEcon Mumbai 2025, Prakash highlighted Accel’s plans to invest its recently raised $650 million fund in 20-25 start-ups this year, focusing on AI, tech-driven industrialization, and start-ups catering to India’s emerging tier-2 and tier-3 markets.
Prakash emphasized that India’s maturing start-up ecosystem, supported by robust funding from family offices and strategic investors, is striking a healthy balance between growth and profitability post-Covid. He praised entrepreneurs for seizing multi-industry opportunities, particularly in sectors like sustainability, EVs, aerospace, and defence, leveraging AI and advanced manufacturing.
Calling for deeper integration into global supply chains, Prakash encouraged Indian start-ups to capitalize on initiatives like iDEX for defence innovation and build parts for EVs that reduce reliance on imports. The country’s evolving capacity for low-cost, frugal innovation, combined with cutting-edge AI applications, positions India as a significant player in a multipolar supply chain landscape.
Accel’s history of backing transformative firms such as Flipkart, Swiggy, and Freshworks showcases its role in nurturing India’s start-up ecosystem. Programs like SeedToScale and Accel Atoms further empower early-stage founders with resources and mentorship, accelerating their journey.
As India’s start-up phenomenon extends beyond urban centers, Prakash envisions the next decade unlocking greater innovation, economic contributions, and a stronger role in nation-building, driven by IP-led advancements and tech-enabled industrialization.
