The Google Accel partnership has taken a major step to boost India’s early AI ecosystem, with both firms joining forces to fund the country’s next generation of artificial intelligence startups. Announced on Tuesday, the collaboration aims to identify early-stage founders creating original AI products for India and global markets.
Through Accel’s Atoms program, the Google Accel partnership will co-invest up to $2 million per startup, with each company contributing up to $1 million. The 2026 cohort will prioritise startups built by founders in India and the Indian diaspora who are developing AI solutions from day one.
Google Accel partnership focuses on early-stage AI builders
India has become one of the world’s most promising AI growth markets, thanks to its massive internet user base, strong engineering talent, and expanding digital infrastructure. But despite these strengths, the country has not yet emerged as a significant developer of frontier AI models. This partnership hopes to change that.
Leaders from Google and Accel say investments will span multiple sectors, including creativity, entertainment, SaaS, productivity, coding, and even foundational model development. The fund also aims to anticipate where large language models will evolve in the next 12–24 months and support Indian startups moving in those directions.
Founders to access funding, compute, and global mentorship
Startups selected for the program will receive up to $350,000 in compute credits across Google Cloud, Gemini, and DeepMind. They will also get early access to AI models, APIs, and experimental tools. Monthly mentorship with Accel and Google experts, support from DeepMind and Google Labs, immersion sessions in London and Silicon Valley, and guidance at Google I/O will round out the program.
Jonathan Silber, co-founder of the Google AI Futures Fund, said India was chosen intentionally, citing the country’s long history of innovation and Google’s deep involvement in its digital transformation. Google’s recent $15 billion plan to build a data center and AI hub further underscores its commitment.
A new chapter for India’s AI future
Accel, which has backed more than 40 companies through its Atoms platform, expanded its pre-seed program this year to include Indian-origin founders abroad. This new collaboration follows Accel’s joint initiative with Prosus to co-invest in Atoms X for mass-market innovations.
Both Google and Accel emphasise that the program does not require exclusivity—startups are free to use AI models from Anthropic, OpenAI, or others. Instead, the goal is to accelerate India’s AI frontier and discover founders who can shape the next wave of global innovation.
