NetApp launches 15th Excellerator cohort focused on AI, deep-tech startups

Data infrastructure company Vasanthi Ramesh-led NetApp India has launched the 15th cohort of its startup accelerator programme, NetApp Excellerator, selecting five deep-tech startups working in areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, workflow automation and enterprise data intelligence. The latest cohort brings together startups from India, the United States and Israel that are building technologies aimed at helping enterprises deploy AI at scale. The programme is designed to provide founders with access to NetApp’s technology leaders, mentorship, data infrastructure expertise and opportunities to explore proof-of-concept (PoC) engagements.The five startups selected for Cohort 15 are LightSprint AI, an AI-native software engineering platform; Wald.ai, which offers semantic data loss prevention for AI communications; Lasso Security, a cybersecurity platform focused on securing generative AI applications and large language models; Cogover, a no-code and low-code workflow automation platform; and QUIPU AI, a knowledge intelligence platform that helps enterprises convert data into AI-ready contextual intelligence.The company said the new cohort reflects growing enterprise demand for technologies that support AI deployment, security, automation and intelligent data infrastructure.“AI is still altering industries and opening up new opportunities for businesses all over the world,” said Vasanthi Ramesh, Vice President of Engineering and Site Leader at NetApp India. She added that the selected startups are addressing key challenges enterprises face while deploying AI at scale and that the accelerator programme aims to help founders transform innovative ideas into scalable products through technical guidance, mentorship and enterprise opportunities.Two startups in the cohort, Cogover and QUIPU AI, are part of ExcellerateHER, NetApp’s initiative to support women-founded and women-led startups. The company said the programme has supported 23 women-led startups since its launch. Naren Meadem, founder and CEO of QUIPU AI, said participation in the accelerator would help the company validate its technology in enterprise environments and explore how its long-term memory capabilities can support AI initiatives at scale.Meanwhile, Mina Nguyen, co-founder and chief growth officer of Cogover, said the company aims to simplify business workflows by connecting data, applications and processes on a single platform, enabling people and AI systems to work from the same information.NetApp said its accelerator programme has supported 90 startups across 14 previous cohorts since its launch in 2017. Participating companies have collectively raised more than $600 million in funding, while the programme has facilitated 30 proof-of-concept engagements and resulted in six commercial contracts with NetApp.Each cohort runs for six months, during which startups collaborate with NetApp teams on potential use cases and PoCs. Selected startups also receive a $15,000 grant to support potential proof-of-concept projects. The latest cohort underscores the growing focus among enterprise technology companies on fostering AI-driven innovation as organisations increasingly invest in intelligent data infrastructure and next-generation software platforms.

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