Google partners Accel to co-invest up to $2 million in India’s early-stage AI startups

Accel and google have partnered to launch the 2026 AI Cohort under Accel’s Atoms program. They plan to coinvest up to $2 million in early-stage AI startups in India.

This partnership, supported by the Google AI Futures Fund, will also support Indian-origin founders building solutions for India and global markets. Startups chosen for the cohort will get funding, access to Google Cloud, Gemini, and DeepMind tools, along with mentorship.

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Prayank Swaroop and Shekhar Kirani, Partners at Accel, said in a joint statement, “AI enables borderless thinking and thus leads to global scale without constraints. For over a decade, Accel has been the first partner for many of India’s most ambitious founders. With Google, we’re creating a ready stack of resources to help Indian founders build and scale globally from day one. We’re helping remove the barriers that have traditionally limited early-stage AI builders and creating a launchpad for category-defining companies.”

Jonathan Silber, Co-founder and Director of AIFF, said: “At the AI Futures Fund, we believe India’s founders will play a leading role in defining the next era of global technology. By increasing our investment in the region through this new cohort with Accel, we are helping this next wave of innovation be built responsibly on Google’s most advanced AI models.”

The Atoms programme has been running for four years. It started by supporting many different kinds of startups but now focuses only on AI companies. So far, it has backed 40 startups, which together have raised over $300 million in additional funding.

This partnership builds on Accel’s recent tie-up with Prosus to co-invest in Atoms X, a program that supports founders creating LeapTech startups. Together, these efforts mark a new phase for early-stage innovation in India, where global money and advanced technology come together to speed up founder growth.

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Besides funding, founders will get up to $350,000 in compute credits on Google Cloud, Gemini, and DeepMind. They’ll also get early access to new Gemini and DeepMind models, APIs, and experimental tools. The program offers direct support from Google Labs and DeepMind teams, co-development opportunities, monthly mentorship with Accel partners and Google technical experts, and immersion visits to London and the Bay Area, including attending Google I/O.

Accel said founders will also get marketing support through Accel and Google’s global platforms, plus exclusive access to the Atoms founder community and Google’s AI builder network. They’ll be free to choose the models they want to use—whether Gemini or any other option that suits their needs.

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