Accel, Prosus to back frontier tech startups; Helping doctors fight superbugs

Hello,

Swiggy has tied up with homegrown AI startup Sarvam to roll out multilingual, voice-led commerce across its food delivery, Instamart, and Dineout platforms. Consumers will be able to place food orders, shop for groceries on Instamart, and book tables on Dineout using simple voice commands, the company said.

Meanwhile, AI paranoia is getting real and publications are under the scanner. The New York Times recently faced scrutiny online over what is alleged to be an article published using an AI tool. It isn’t clear whether NYT used AI to generate the article but the debate on the internet over the allegations show nobody can escape the AI chaos.

ICYMI: ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is shutting down Sora, a social app that launched six months ago and sparked concerns over deepfake content. The company did not reveal the reason for the closure. The text-to-video platform was known for its AI-slop videos.

Moving on, NASA has said it will launch a nuclear-powered mission to Mars before the end of 2028. This would be the first such attempt at using nuclear fuel to reach a planet and if successful, would open the doors for faster interplanetary travel.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Accel, Prosus to back frontier tech startups
• Helping doctors fight superbugs
• India could be the next big quantum player

Here’s your trivia for today: "The Addams Family" is based on a cartoon in which magazine?

News

Accel, Prosus to back frontier tech startups

Accel and Prosus have selected six startups for the first cohort of their Atoms X programme, marking a joint push into frontier technologies that require longer gestation periods and deeper scientific innovation.

The cohort, drawn from more than 2,000 applications, focuses on what the firms describe as “LeapTech”, companies combining scientific research with engineering to build new infrastructure across sectors such as climate, aerospace, and healthcare.

Key takeaways:

• Under the partnership, Prosus will match Accel’s investment in each startup, providing founders with what the firms call “capital certainty” to pursue complex ideas without near-term commercial pressure.
• The selected startups span a wide range of technologies. Praan is developing systems to optimise indoor air quality to near-mountain conditions.
• The launch builds on Accel’s broader Accel Atoms initiative, started in 2021, which was designed as a founder-first program backing companies at the idea or pre-seed stage with early capital, structured mentorship, and access to Accel’s global network.

<Funding alert>

Startup: Rocketlane

Amount: $60M

Round: Series C

Startup: Fullife Healthcare

Amount: Rs 300 Cr

Round: Series D

Startup: Burma Burma

Amount: Rs 38 Cr

Round: Undisclosed

Startup

Helping doctors fight superbugs

In 2023, KK Senthil Kumar teamed up with his former student Suganth Murugaraj and entrepreneur Clement D to co-found a healthtech startup Attox to build AI‑powered electrochemical tools for efficient medical diagnoses and to tackle the growing global crisis of antimicrobial resistance.

According to a report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a public health research institute of the University of Washington, in 2021 alone, about 1.5 million people lost their lives either directly or indirectly due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Key takeaways:

• Attox has a seven-member team based in Chennai and operates a laboratory in Erode, Tamil Nadu—Murugaraj’s hometown.
• Attox’s flagship product, the Bactolizer, is a rapid antibiotic sensitivity analysis device designed to determine which antibiotic will effectively kill a specific bacteria in a patient’s sample.
• Compared to the traditional time-frame of 24-78 hours, Attox’s device shares results in two hours.

Interview

India could be the next big quantum player

In an interaction with EnterpriseStory, Amith Singhee, Director of IBM Research India and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for IBM India and South Asia, said the country has the potential to emerge as one of the top four quantum computing players globally. However, hurdles remain.

News & updates

• Bonuses: Meta Platforms has offered top executives stock options that could reach millions of dollars in a bid to retain talent ‌and spur aggressive growth in the AI era. The options are the social media giant's first for its top brass and require steep stock milestones.
• Acquisition: Pharma giant Merck is buying US biotech firm Terns Pharmaceuticals for $6.7 billion, the company said Wednesday. This is Merck’s third multibillion-dollar acquisition over the past year as the company bolsters its cancer drug portfolio. 

"The Addams Family" is based on a cartoon in which magazine?

Answer: The New Yorker

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