Accel's Akhilesh Agarwal passes away; startup ecosystem pays tribute
Known for his founder-first approach and passion for deeptech, Agarwal was remembered by founders, investors, and peers for his mentorship and lasting impact on early-stage startups.
The Indian startup ecosystem is mourning the loss of deeptech investor Akhilesh Agarwal, a member of leading venture capital firm Accel, with founders and investors paying tribute to his contributions.
Akhilesh was part of Accel’s Atom programme and joined the firm in 2025 where he focused on backing pre-seed and seed-stage startups building 'LeapTech' ventures. Prior to joining Accel, he served as the Assistant Vice President (AVP) at Blume Ventures and pi Ventures.
According to his Accel profile, Akhilesh was passionate about helping founders leverage differentiated industry insights to take civilisation to its next frontier. A dedicated early-stage investor, he was known for championing ambitious deeptech startups.
A graduate of PES University, Bengaluru, Akhilesh backed several emerging startups, including Sarla Aviation, Biocompute, Leumas, and Serendipity Space, among others.
Before moving into venture capital, Akhilesh worked at SuperProfs, Goldman Sachs, and Klub. He began his investing career at pi Ventures before going on to join Blume Ventures and later Accel.
On his personal website, Akhilesh described his investment philosophy: "My approach is founder first and long term, often investing when ideas are still fragile. For me, supporting startups goes far beyond capital. I believe in deploying my capital and time towards shaping deliberate futures for our species and strengthening the foundations of civilisation.”
In a LinkedIn post, The VC Fellowship paid tribute to Akhilesh, describing him as a generous mentor who went beyond offering advice. “Over the years, Akhilesh supported the VC Fellowship with remarkable generosity. He never treated mentorship as a checkbox. He listened, challenged, encouraged, and believed in people long before they believed in themselves. His commitment to nurturing founders and strengthening India’s deep-tech ecosystem was evident in everything he did,” the organisation said.
It further noted that his passing is a profound loss not only for the venture capital ecosystem, but for every founder, colleague, student, and friend whose journey he touched with his wisdom, humility, and unwavering support.
“Today, we mourn not just an accomplished investor, but an extraordinary human being.”