Global venture capital firm Accel on Monday announced that it has raised a USD 650 million early-stage fund to fuel the next generation of category defining startups in the focus sectors of artificial intelligence (AI), consumer, fintech and manufacturing. Accel is the first institutional investor in 80 per cent of its portfolio companies. Its prominent portfolio companies include BlackBuck, BlueStone, Cult.fit, Flipkart, Freshworks, Swiggy, Urban Company and Zetwerk. "Accel, a leading global venture capital firm, today announced that it has raised a USD 650 million early-stage fund dedicated to supporting bold founders in India and Southeast Asia," the company said in a release. Accel said its latest fund eighth in India and Southeast Asia -- builds on its commitment to partnering with early-stage founders to establish disruptive, category defining businesses that create meaningful impact. Sectors in focus for this fund include AI, consumer, fintech and manufacturing. On Accel's
Global venture capital firm Accel on Wednesday announced the launch of Accel Atoms 4.0, the fourth edition of its pre-seed scaling programme, Accel Atoms, that offers chosen startups up to USD 1 million funding along with perks of over USD 5 million from Accel network partners. Accel Atoms 4.0 builds on the success of three previous editions, and is designed to make the journey as frictionless as possible for visionary founders and promising entrepreneurs operating in the two distinct cohorts of AI and Bharat, the VC firm said in a release. Accel Atoms 4.0 is inviting applications from two categories of pre-seed startups - those building for Bharat', and AI (Artificial Intelligence), it said. Applications for the programme open on September 16. Accel defines Bharat' as the middle-income households spread across Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural India. Startups at the pre-seed stage, including idea-stage and pre-product companies, are eligible to apply for this rigorous three-month hybrid .