Google and Accel Partner to Fuel India‘s AI Startupโ Ecosystem
BANGALORE, INDIA – November 8, 2025 – Google is joining forces with โventureโ capitalโข firmโ Accel toโ identify and โinvest in promising artificial intelligence startups โขin India, marking a important expansion of the tech โgiant’s commitment to โคthe burgeoningโ Indian AI landscape. the collaboration leverages Accel’s Atoms platform, a pre-seed and โseedโฃ program, to tap intoโ early-stage founders and accelerate innovation within the country.
The partnership aims to discoverโ the โ”next waveโ of innovation inโ the AIโ space coming out of India,”โข according to Google’s Director of strategic โInitiatives, Ravi Silber. Google will take equity stakes in startups funded through the program, becoming “aโค material presence” on their โcap tables, though theโค size of those stakes relative to Accel’s investments remains undisclosed.
This move builds on Google’s existing investments in Indian startups, including โwebtoon platform Tone Sutra and โsocial gaming platform STAN, as well asโ itsโฃ backing of โคAI-focusedโ companies like Replit and Harvey. Accel’s Atoms program, โlaunched in 2021, has already supported over 40 companies โthat have collectively raised more โคthan $300โค million inโข follow-on funding โคand recentlyโ expanded to include Indian founders basedโข internationally.
Silber โemphasized that the partnership is notโค driven by a desire โto acquire startups or secure new cloud customers.”We’re not a sales team, โคso we’re not specifically lookingโฃ to sign up โnew cloud customers.That’sโ notโฃ ourโ goal,” he told TechCrunch. While Googleโ hopes to find opportunities for integration with its AI technology, including Gemini, the program willโค not โคrequire startups to exclusively use Google products. “Sometimes, Google’s technology is โtheโ best. Other times, you’ll see anthropic or OpenAI,” Silber stated.
The collaborationโ follows Accel’s โฃrecent partnership โwithโ Prosus โขto co-invest inโข Atoms X, further demonstrating theโข firm’s dedication โto supporting early-stage Indian startups building solutions for aโ large-scale audience. This latest venture underscores the growing recognitionโข of India as a key hub forโข AI growth and innovation.
