NEW DELHI — Google on Tuesday announced the opening of applications for its 2026 India Startup Accelerator, a three-month, equity-free program designed to support artificial intelligence-focused startups.
The program is aimed at startups working in emerging areas such as agentic AI, multimodal AI, physical AI, and sovereign AI, as the industry shifts from experimental use cases to large-scale, workflow-driven deployments, Google India said.
The accelerator is open to AI-first startups from seed to Series A stages that are developing solutions tailored to India-specific challenges or building specialized models for global industrial applications.
Selected startups will receive equity-free support, including access to Google’s advanced AI models such as Gemini, Gemma, Imagen, Veo, and Lyria. The program also offers hands-on technical collaboration and one-on-one mentorship from experts across Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Google Health, and Android teams.
Participants will gain access to cloud infrastructure, including Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and cloud credits, subject to eligibility. The program will also provide structured support through weekly progress tracking and dedicated success managers to help startups achieve key product, technology, and growth milestones.
Google highlighted results from previous cohorts, noting that participating startups have seen measurable gains. Dview reported a fourfold increase in revenue, while Superjoin improved accuracy and latency by 50 percent using Gemini 3.0. Pulse identified $3 million in at-risk revenue through large-scale feedback analysis.
Other startups have applied AI to sector-specific challenges. AiSteth developed an offline smart stethoscope that screened more than 75,000 patients across multiple states. Vaani AI expanded voice processing capabilities and reduced manual calls, while Resilience AI improved climate analytics performance. VideoSDK enhanced efficiency and reduced costs through AI-driven solutions.
The 2026 accelerator will begin in late June with a weeklong in-person boot camp in Bengaluru and conclude with a Demo Day in October. Applications will close on April 19. (Source: IANS)
