Lightspeed Selects 4 Deeptech Startups for Its India Ascends 2026 Cohort
•February 10, 2026
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Companies Mentioned
Why It Matters
The move signals deepening venture capital commitment to youthful deep‑tech talent in India, accelerating the path from lab‑stage innovation to commercial impact and strengthening the country’s position in high‑growth technology sectors.
Key Takeaways
- •Lightspeed backs four under‑25 deeptech founders.
- •Funding ranges from $200k to $3 million per startup.
- •Partners include Anthropic, Groq, Google Cloud, and AWS.
- •Winners receive $500k+ in cloud and AI credits.
- •Startups target AI, aerospace, robotics, biotech, defense.
Pulse Analysis
India’s deep‑technology landscape is reaching a tipping point, with venture capital firms increasingly allocating capital to high‑risk, high‑reward ventures that blend artificial intelligence, aerospace, and biotech. Lightspeed India’s India Ascends 2026 cohort underscores this shift by selecting four startups led by founders younger than 25, a demographic traditionally under‑represented in deeptech funding. By coupling sizable equity checks with a year‑long strategic roadmap, the firm is not only providing financial muscle but also mentorship that bridges the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and market‑ready products. This approach reflects a broader industry trend toward nurturing talent early to accelerate commercialization.
The chosen companies illustrate the breadth of frontier innovation emerging in the country. Sapien Labs aims to replace human subjects in drug trials with data‑driven simulations, potentially slashing R&D costs for pharma giants. Eyecandy Robotics is building physically interactive AI characters that promise a tenfold boost in consumer engagement. Celestial Aerospace’s balloon‑assisted launch system could democratize access to low‑Earth orbit, while Sentience is developing a robotics foundation model that eliminates the sim‑to‑real performance gap. Partnerships with Anthropic, Groq, Google Cloud and AWS grant these startups immediate access to cutting‑edge compute and AI infrastructure.
The cohort’s blend of deeptech focus and policy access positions India to compete more aggressively on the global stage. Direct links to policymakers and international influencers can accelerate regulatory approvals, especially in sectors like defense and space where compliance hurdles are steep. Moreover, the $500k‑plus in cloud and AI credits lowers the barrier to scale, allowing founders to iterate faster and attract follow‑on investors. As more capital follows this model, India could see a surge in homegrown deeptech unicorns, reshaping the country’s innovation narrative and export potential.
Lightspeed selects 4 deeptech startups for its India Ascends 2026 cohort
Lightspeed India, one of the leading early stage venture capital firms has selected four deeptech startups with founders under the age of 25 as part of its India Ascends cohort.
The India Ascends cohort aims to back founders who are engaged with frontier technologies such artificial intelligence, space and aerospace, robotics, biotechnology, and defense technology.
Lightspeed has partnered with Anthropic, Groq, Google Cloud, and AWS for the India Ascends platform.
According to a statement, each winning team will receive equity funding ranging from $200k to $3 million, along with a year-long, founder-aligned strategic roadmap designed to help them scale from early innovation to real-world impact.
The winners will also gain direct access to policymakers, global influencers, and Lightspeed’s extended network of founders and operators, in addition to over $500k in cloud, AI, and software credits.
The selected startups include:
Sapien Labs: Founded by Shashank Choudhary and Aakash Bhagat Reinventing drug trials by enabling every company to run Pfizer-scale studies with data, not human subjects.
Eyecandy Robotics: Founded by Alqama Shaikh, Raghuvamsi Velagala, and Mankaran Singh. Building next-gen physical AI characters that are 10x more engaging than anything on shelves today.
Celestial Aerospace: Founded by Shreyans Jain. Developing balloon-assisted launch systems to make space access radically cheaper and more scalable.
Sentience: Founded by Abhishek Parmar and Akash Karnatak. The startup is building a robotics foundational model with zero sim-to-real gap.
Hemant Mohapatra, Partner at Lightspeed, said: “What stood out across this young cohort wasn’t just the technical depth, but the clarity and the intent to build enduring companies solving hard problems. These founders represent a new generation of builders who are thinking globally from day zero, and we are all in on their journeys.”
Edited by Jyoti Narayan
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