New Delhi: In a significant push to accelerate India’s emerging artificial intelligence landscape, Google and global venture capital firm Accel have announced a joint initiative to fund early-stage AI startups across the country. The collaboration marks Google’s first co-investment partnership under its recently launched AI Futures Fund, underscoring the company’s growing commitment to nurturing India’s innovation ecosystem.
Under the new program, Google and Accel will jointly invest up to $2 million in each selected startup, with the inaugural cohort expected to include at least ten AI-focused companies. The initiative aims to identify promising founders at the pre-seed and seed stages who are building solutions across a wide spectrum of sectors from entertainment and creative tools to workplace automation and coding platforms.
Executives from both organizations noted that India’s deep technical talent pool and rapidly growing digital economy make it an ideal hub for next-generation AI development. They emphasized that Indian founders are increasingly building products for global markets, and this program is designed to provide them with both financial backing and technological depth to compete internationally.
Beyond the capital infusion, startups chosen for the programme will receive access to Google’s advanced AI capabilities, including early use of Gemini models, DeepMind innovations, and substantial compute credits on Google Cloud. The support package also includes mentorship from Google researchers, Accel advisors, and industry experts, providing founders with comprehensive guidance in scaling their products, refining use-cases, and navigating global markets.
The India-focused partnership comes at a time when global technology giants are intensifying their presence in the country. Google recently unveiled a $15-billion investment plan to build a major AI data centre in Andhra Pradesh, its largest commitment in India to date. The AI Futures Fund, launched just six months ago, has already invested in over 30 companies worldwide, including India’s digital-comics platform Toonsutra and the U.S.-based legal AI startup Harvey.
Industry analysts say this alliance between Google and Accel will inject new momentum into India’s rapidly expanding AI sector, which is projected to reach $17 billion by 2027, according to estimates by NASSCOM and the Boston Consulting Group. The global market is also experiencing a meteoric surge, with AI spending expected to soar past $2 trillion by 2026, making India a critical innovation and talent hub in the global AI race.
With this partnership, India’s early-stage AI founders now stand to gain not only substantial funding but also a powerful technology and mentorship backbone. As demand for AI-driven solutions rises worldwide, Google and Accel’s joint effort is poised to shape and strengthen the next wave of global-ready startups emerging from India.