India’s artificial intelligence startup space is set to receive a fresh boost as Google teams up with venture capital firm Accel to back early stage founders building AI first products. The partnership will support selected startups through a dedicated cohort programme planned for 2026, with funding of up to $2 million per startup to help them scale globally from India.
The initiative is being rolled out under the Atoms AI programme, led by Google’s AI Future Fund and Accel. The 3-month customised cohort will focus on pre-seed AI startups and will also provide up to $350000 in Google credits. These credits will cover access to tools such as Google Cloud and Gemini, along with early access to DeepMind models. Founders will receive close mentorship from experts across engineering, product development and go to market execution.
Applications for the 2026 cohort are open until January 26, 2026. The programme is inviting founders working on AI driven solutions across areas such as work automation, software development, creative tools and entertainment technologies. Google said the aim is to support bold founders who want to use AI to create large scale and meaningful impact through globally relevant products.
Accel’s Atoms initiative has been supporting early stage startups since 2021 and expanded in 2023 to include Atoms AI and Atoms X. Atoms AI backs Indian founders both within the country and those building companies overseas. The funding ticket under the programme has increased to $1 million, along with partner benefits worth $5 million from companies including OpenAI, AWS, Stripe and Google. Past cohorts have supported startups such as Revvolution AI, BPRHub and Zingle. Separately, Google continues to deepen its AI focus in India through initiatives like the “Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First” programme launched in September 2025, which offers equity free mentorship to 20 startups. Together, these efforts strengthen India’s position as a growing hub for early stage AI innovation.
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