Archive · 11 Dec 2025
Accel’s Prashanth Prakash Joins WTFund as Advisor
Prashanth Prakash, a well-known investor, has joined WTFund, a fund that helps very young entrepreneurs.
WTFund also announced a new group of eight startups, all led by people under 25.
These startups work on things like AI, health tech, and electronics.
WTFund also started a bootcamp to help these young founders with mentorship and access to investors.
Meanwhile, Lightspeed Ventures launched a program called India Ascends 2026 to support under-25 founders building advanced technology startups.
This program offers funding and support from big tech companies.
Both initiatives aim to help young people with big ideas grow their businesses.
Prashanth Prakash joins WTFund as a strategic advisor to shape investment strategy and mentorship for under-25 startups.
WTFund unveils its eight-startup cohort, C1/25, focusing on AI, health tech, security, and electronics manufacturing.
WTFund launches its first bootcamp to provide mentorship, industry insights, and investor access to young founders.
Lightspeed Ventures introduces India Ascends 2026, an accelerator program for under-25 deeptech startups, with support from Anthropic, groq, Google Cloud, and AWS.
Applications for India Ascends 2026 close on January 12, 2026, with winners announced on February 6, 2026, and potential investments ranging from $200K to $3M.
- Who
- Prashanth Prakash, Accel India founding partner, joins WTFund as strategic advisor; WTFund and Lightspeed Ventures support under-25 startups.
- What
- Prashanth Prakash's appointment and the launch of WTFund's new cohort and bootcamp, along with Lightspeed's India Ascends 2026 accelerator program.
- When
- December 11, 2025 (WTFund announcement); Applications for India Ascends close on January 12, 2026, with winners announced on February 6, 2026.
- Where
- India, with WTFund and Lightspeed Ventures focusing on Indian startups.
- Why
- To support and mentor young entrepreneurs, particularly in DeepTech, consumer, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing sectors.
- Prashanth Prakash
- Accel India founding partner and Padma Shri awardee
- WTFund
- Nikhil Kamath-backed fund for under-25 startups
- WTFund C1/25
- Eight-startup cohort announced
- WTFund Bootcamp
- Structured program for mentorship and investor access
- Lightspeed India Ascends 2026
- Accelerator program for under-25 deeptech startups
- Application Deadline
- January 12, 2026
- Winners Announcement
- February 6, 2026
- Investment Range
- $200K to $3M
