New Delhi: Google and Accel have launched a joint funding initiative to support early-stage artificial intelligence startups in India. The move marks Google’s first collaborative investment effort of its kind in the country and reflects the growing global interest in India’s expanding AI ecosystem.
The programme will back at least 10 startups, with Google’s AI Futures Fund and Accel jointly investing up to $2 million in each company. According to Accel partner Prayank Swaroop, the fund will focus on a wide set of AI applications, including entertainment, productivity, creative tools and developer technologies.
The initiative comes as major tech firms increase their presence in India amid rising demand for AI solutions driven by nearly a billion internet users and a large engineering workforce. Companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and OpenAI have launched new initiatives in the country, positioning India as a key market in their global AI strategies.
Google’s growing investment activity reflects this shift. In October, the company announced a five-year, $15 billion plan to build an AI data centre in Andhra Pradesh, its largest investment in India to date. The AI Futures Fund, created six months ago, has already invested in more than 30 startups globally, including the Indian digital comics platform Toonsutra and the U.S.-based legal-tech firm Harvey. Google has also partnered with Reliance Jio to offer free access to its Gemini AI model to millions of mobile users.
Jonathan Silber, co-founder of the AI Futures Fund, said India’s startup ecosystem is positioned to influence the next phase of global technological development, adding that early-stage capital will play a critical role as AI innovation accelerates.
