Synopsis
This partnership, through the Google AI Futures Fund, will also back diaspora founders building for India and global markets. Under the cohort, selected startups will receive funding, access to Google Cloud, Gemini and DeepMind resources, as well as mentorship.
Venture capital fund Accel and Google have joined hands to launch the 2026 AI Cohort under Accel’s Atoms programme, with plans to co-invest up to $2 million in early-stage Indian artificial intelligence startups.
This partnership, through the Google AI Futures Fund, will also back diaspora founders building for India and global markets. Under the cohort, selected startups will receive funding, access to Google Cloud, Gemini and DeepMind resources, as well as mentorship.
Accel partner Prayank Swaroop said this initiative is about “creating a ready stack of resources to help Indian founders build and scale globally from day one”.
The Atoms programme has been running for four years, going from a multi-industry focus to specifically backing AI startups. The fund has backed 40 companies through Atoms, and these startups have collectively raised more than $300 million in follow-on funding.
Swaroop explained that both Accel and Google will invest equity in these startups, with Accel putting in up to $1 million and Google matching that amount. This is the first collaboration of this kind by Google’s AI Futures Fund anywhere globally.
This financial backing is “just part of the equation”, said Jonathan Silber of Google DeepMind. “We’re giving our founders a distinct advantage in early-stage India. This is a mix of capital and compute, and direct technical support from some of the best minds at Google and Google DeepMind, as well as the best business minds at Accel,” he told the media in a virtual meeting.
Part of the benefit for startups will be early access to AI models. Silber noted that companies in the cohort will get early exposure to Google’s latest technology, including Gemini 3, its latest model designed for reasoning tasks.
The fund is looking to support founders building all parts of the AI stack. This includes startups working on coding tools, productivity and work solutions, creative platforms and entertainment technologies. While these are the main focus areas, the fund may also invest in other promising companies they discover, Silber said.
Swaroop said the programme recognises Indian founders, adding that homegrown startups often work at the intersection of AI and the physical world. “India has an advantage in fields like robotics and healthcare due to its large data pools and clinical testing infrastructure,” he said.
“Good companies are always heartlessly, hotly contested. If it’s a very good company, I’m OK to take a single-digit stake. We have done investments globally where we have single-digit stakes because we just believe the company will do well,” Swaroop said.
The exact ownership details are confidential but both companies emphasised their commitment to investing in as many promising startups as possible without a cap on the fund size.
Beyond funding, the programme aims to provide personalised support for startups. In a “bespoke model”, Accel and Google will work with each company to meet its specific needs.
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Source: www.economictimes.indiatimes.com