Google announced a strategic partnership with the venture capital firm Accel, through Accel's "Atoms" program, to jointly identify and fund early-stage artificial intelligence startups in India and among the Indian diaspora. This marks the first such collaboration for Google's AI Future Fund on a global scale. The two companies will invest up to $2 million in each selected startup, with each party contributing up to $1 million, focusing on founders who have been committed to developing AI products from the start.
This collaboration will focus on the Atoms program through 2026, with investment areas covering creativity, entertainment, programming, work applications, and even potentially foundational models, aiming to "build artificial intelligence products for hundreds of millions of Indians while supporting AI products developed in India for global markets." Prayank Swaroop, a partner at Accel, said they will also work to identify areas where large language models may make progress within the next 12-24 months, and look for Indian startups that are moving in those directions.
Although India still lags behind the US and China in advanced model development, the market landscape is changing. Google sees potential in India's large mobile-first user base, expanding cloud infrastructure, and strong engineering talent. Jonathan Silber, co-founder and director of Google's AI Future Fund, emphasized that the choice of India is based on Google's belief that India will play a leading role in the next generation of AI-driven global technology. This collaboration follows Google's recent announcement of a $1.5 billion plan to build data centers and AI hubs in India.
In addition to financial support, the funded founders will receive up to $350,000 in Google Cloud, Gemini, and DeepMind computing resources, as well as early access to Gemini and DeepMind models and APIs. The program also includes support from Google Labs and DeepMind research teams, joint development opportunities, regular mentorship, and immersive training courses held in London and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Although Google will appear on the equity structure of these startups, Silber and Swaroop both stated that startups will not be forced to exclusively use Google's models or products
