Over the past decade, Google Accelerator programs have supported 277 Indian startups, with 94% of alumni continuing to build and scale today.
As the ecosystem shifts from mobile-first to AI-first, the needs of founders have fundamentally changed. Recently, Google detailed its “full-stack” approach to AI technology—integrating every layer from hardware to user interfaces to remove friction for developers. We are applying the same full-stack approach to how we support the startup ecosystem.
Google is providing a cohesive, multi-layered pipeline: equipping founders with the human talent, technical architecture, venture capital DNA, and enterprise market access needed to build durable global businesses.
Layer 1: The Build Layer
Before a startup can scale, it must build. We support early-stage and Series A founders during this critical “prompt-to-prototype” phase, ensuring they have the technical and financial foundations to test ideas faster:
- Google for Startups Sprints: Intensive, single-day architectural whiteboarding sessions where early-stage founders deploy tools like Google AI Studio and the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform directly with Google Customer Engineers.
- The Immersion Program: Partnered with Antler, this initiative bridges technical stack execution with VC business math, culminating in day-long design workshops and dedicated investment pitch tracks in Bangalore for the top 30 startups.
- GFS Hub (Hyderabad): Partnering with T-Hub, this dedicated destination hosts 100 startups, offering deep technical office hours and operational founder readiness events.
Layer 2: The Scale Layer
To help mature startups cross the hurdle from a verified prototype to scaled production deployment, we are officially launching three new cohort programs:
- Google for Startups Accelerator: India: Welcoming 20 AI-first startups pioneering autonomous agents and physical AI systems across high-impact sectors like climate, healthcare, and finance to the 2026 cohort.
- Google Play Accelerator India: A specialized cohort kicking off this month to help advanced apps, on-device AI experiences, and gaming platforms optimize their architecture and global distribution.
- Google DeepMind Accelerator APAC: A three-month program focused on “AI for the Planet,” supporting startups, research teams, and non-profits in solving critical environmental challenges through frontier AI, providing them with tailored support and access to specialized models like AlphaEarth, AnthroKrishi and WeatherNext. Applications are open until July 26th.
Already, Indian startups are utilizing Google’s infrastructure to scale and lead the global Generative Media revolution. Using our multimodal model, Gemini Omni, innovators like Invideo are automating high-fidelity video production with AgentOne, EloElo (a Google Accelerator Alumnus) is co-developing the regional Bharat Entertainment Stack, and PocketFM is leveraging Google Cloud inference to engineer AI-powered digital storytelling for global audiences.
Building on this momentum, at I/O Connect we spotlighted eight visionary Indian startups leveraging our full AI stack—across Gemini, Gemma, Android, Chrome, and Cloud—to solve real-world problems at scale. These included Policybazaar, Emergent, redBus, Adya, VideoSDK, Sivi, Superjoin, and Knit, each demonstrating how applied AI is being used to solve real problems, from transforming insurance discovery and enterprise app development to reimagining travel, finance, and creative design for India’s scale and diversity.
Layer 3: The Commercial Layer
As startups mature, they face a steep commercial divide: transitioning from a successful pilot to repeatable enterprise adoption. The Google Market Access Program is a purpose-built engine designed to bridge this gap for AI-first startups ready to scale responsibly. By acting as a cross-border monetization bridge, the program combines global selling expertise and international market immersion with direct access to Google’s enterprise network of global CIOs—helping deep-tech, fintech, and healthtech founders establish predictable international revenue pipelines. Highlighting the maturity of this network, the current cohort has already collectively raised $200 million in venture funding.
The Base Layer: Human Infrastructure
None of this full-stack scale is possible without a massive, foundational pipeline of local technical talent. Over the past three years, Google has skilled more than 1.5 million Indians. Through our AI Startup School, run in partnership with MeitY Startup Hub and Startup India, we have equipped over 35,000 founders and aspiring entrepreneurs.
At the developer level, as per a third-party evaluation, our Play and Android platforms have generated INR 5.3 lakh crore for app publishers and the wider Indian economy between 2024 and 2025. To feed this funnel, we are bringing our Google Play Academy curriculum to 10,000 developers and app creators by partnering with the state governments of Rajasthan, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh. This program will help developers leverage the latest advances in agentic AI, and gain skills for building, launching, and scaling successful app and game businesses.
In addition, regional initiatives like Garvi Gujarat, have supported over 10,000 developers across Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara. To sustain this momentum, we will continue to equip the ecosystem with the latest tools and resources through our upcoming AI Day for Startups events and a nationwide Buildathon series.
Driving this movement at the grassroots level are our vibrant Google Developer Groups (GDG) and Google Developer Experts (GDE) communities. Through hands-on sessions like our nationwide Build with AI campaign, they are actively mentoring developers and equipping them to build the next generation of AI-first solutions.
From training the first-time developer to signing a global enterprise contract, Google is committed to serving as the full-stack partner for India’s AI builders and innovators.
The push to establish India as a global innovation powerhouse centers on several core pillars:
