Google backs 5 Indian AI startups via Accel’s Atoms

Google is betting on India for generative AI and has launched a joint investment program with Atoms, the early-stage platform of Accel India, to back local startups.

The Google AI Futures Fund entered India in November 2025 through the partnership with Atom.

In March 2026, the fund and Atoms picked five startups from thousands of applications and will invest US$1 million in each plus US$350,000 in compute credits and access to top foundational models from Google.

The selected startups include K-Dense, Dodge.ai, Persistence Labs, Zingroll, and Level Plane.

Prayank Swaroop, a partner at Accel, said Unique AI ideas rose from about 10% in 2024 to around 40% today, and that agentic and voice AI are drawing more founder interest.

🔗 Source: The Economic Times

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Google describes a “flywheel” where startup findings flow back to Google DeepMind teams 1.
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