Google launches ‘AI First' accelerator to boost India's emerging startups
India's AI landscape is rapidly maturing. According to industry projections, India's Generative AI market is expected to surpass $17 billion by 2030, and AI is forecast to contribute significantly to achieving the country's ambitious $1 trillion digital economy target by 2028. As part of its national digital vision, the Indian government has launched the IndiaAI Mission, which prioritises AI as a strategic frontier.
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In line with this, Google's accelerator programme seeks to nurture Seed to Series A startups building core AI technologies, ranging from foundational models and reasoning systems to multimodal use cases and advanced AI applications.
Selected startups will gain access to a suite of resources and mentorship over the course of the programme. Key benefits include:
Mentorship: Startups will receive 1:1 guidance from experts across Google teams including DeepMind, Health, Cloud, Android, Ads, and more.
Customised Support: OKR-driven weekly sessions and dedicated startup success managers will help companies meet their growth and product goals.
Infrastructure Access: Eligible startups will benefit from free Cloud TPUs, Cloud credits, and advanced AI tools such as Gemini, Gemma, Imagen, and Veo.
Hands-on AI Integration: Founders will work closely with Google AI teams to solve complex technical challenges and incorporate Google's latest AI models.
Last year's programme had a measurable impact. Participating startups collectively raised over $61 million in funding and gained valuable exposure via the Google Cloud Marketplace. Notable examples include:
SpotDraft, which improved contract management using the Gemini API, cutting costs by 80% and boosting accuracy by 30%.
Kroop AI, which enhanced user engagement by 40% through optimised pricing for its deepfake detection tech.
Merlin AI, a productivity app, which leveraged Gemini's long context window to enhance chat and document processing for its 2 million users.
Applications are open until 30 June 2025 via Google's startup portal.
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