Supporting AI Founders to Build for a Billion Indians: Our Partnership with Google’s AI Futures Fund for Atoms AI Cohort 2026

Accel has forged a landmark partnership with Google's AI Futures Fund to launch the Atoms AI Cohort 2026, a global first for Google and a significant moment for India’s AI ecosystem.

Today marks an important step in expanding support for founders building at the frontier of technology. Together with Google’s AI Futures Fund, this partnership will jointly back India’s next generation of AI founders, combining Accel’s early-stage expertise with Google’s frontier technology, research, infrastructure, and full-stack AI capabilities. The partnership gives founders access to an unmatched range of resources, from capital and compute, to mentorship and early access to Gemini and DeepMind models, helping them build and scale globally from day one.

As part of this partnership, the Accel Atoms and AI Futures Fund will co-invest up to $2M in each selected startup. This level of early-stage commitment in India’s AI ecosystem underscores how its founders are building with world-class quality and ambition.

Together with Google, the partnership will pave the way for a new phase of early-stage innovation in India, where capital, technology, and early conviction converge to help founders build for India from anywhere in the world.

An Unprecedented Platform for AI Founders Building for India

Founders selected for the cohort will gain access to resources and technical depth, unlike anything available at the early stage in India. This includes direct, sustained guidance from senior technical experts across Google and DeepMind.

• Up to $2 million in funding per startup, with Accel and Google’s AI Futures Fund co-investing
• Up to $350,000 in compute credits across Google Cloud, Gemini, and DeepMind resources
• Early access to Gemini and DeepMind models, APIs, and experimental features before public release
• Direct support from Google Labs and DeepMind research teams, with co-development opportunities and tailored technical guidance
• 1-on-1 company-focused  mentorship sessions with Accel partners and Google technical leads focused on business scaling and AI implementation
• Global immersion experiences, including potential participation in Google-led events
• Marketing and visibility amplification through Accel and Google’s global channels
• Exclusive community access to the Atoms founder network and Google’s AI builder ecosystem

Catalyzing AI for a Billion People

AI enables global scale without constraints. That is the opportunity, and one that needs a few key ingredients to take root in India.

Over the last few months, we have heard from thousands of founders, operators, and developers to understand what they need to build meaningfully for a billion people and beyond. The message was clear: Access to capital, compute, and credible guidance can mean the difference between an idea and a category-defining company.

The Atoms AI Cohort 2026, backed by Accel and AI Futures Fund, brings all of this together through a single program purpose-built for India’s most ambitious AI founders. India’s AI journey is still being written. The founders who will define it are building at the intersection of science, engineering, and ambition — and they deserve partners who can match that scale of vision.

Focus Themes

We’re looking to back founders building across the AI stack, with a focus on: 

• Future of Coding: investing in the shift from "engineering" software to "orchestrating" it, empowering a new generation of "makers" and creating 100x engineers
• Future of Productivity: investing in AI that removes routine toil, elevating workers from "doers" to "managers" who orchestrate specialized AI agents
• Future of Creativity: investing in AI that dramatically lowers the time, cost, and expertise barriers to creation, unlocking a new age of expression for everyone
• Future of Entertainment: investing in the shift from passive consumption to participatory entertainment, where creation and "remixing" become a native act

Who Should Apply

• Indian & Indian-origin founders building AI-first products for India and users worldwide. Location doesn’t matter, whether you are in Bengaluru, Silicon Valley, London, or elsewhere. 
• Builders across sectors, including developer tools, productivity, productivity, applied AI, creativity and entertainment. 
• Founders at idea or prototype stage — traction is not mandatory.
• There’s no model restriction, use what's best for your use case — however we’re looking for at least one Gemini integration in your solution. 

Apply now to claim your spot in the program!

Key Milestones

• Applications open now at atoms.accel.com/apply
• To be eligible for the AI 2026 cohort, apply by January 26, 2026. Don’t wait for the deadline — apply as soon as you’re ready!
• The program kicks off in February 2026.
• If you applied between September 1, 2025 and November 24, 2025, your application will automatically be considered for Atoms AI Cohort 2026.
• Founders applying after the deadline will be considered for future Atoms AI cohorts.

The application form is built on Gemini 2.5 Pro’s PDF parsing capabilities, enabling founders to autofill most of their information faster than ever.

About Accel Atoms

Accel Atoms is Accel’s pre-seed and seed platform for early founders building for the next decade. Designed as an equity-backed program, Atoms provides capital, mentorship, and company-building support from Accel’s global network of investors and operators. Since launch, Atoms has supported dozens of Indian & Indian diaspora founders, in categories spanning developer infrastructure to consumer, Industry 5.0 and AI.

About Google’s AI Futures Fund

The AI Futures Fund supports frontier AI startups around the world, combining capital with early access to technology, infrastructure, and mentorship from Google and DeepMind teams. The fund’s mission is to accelerate responsible AI innovation and empower builders to scale cutting-edge applications globally.

‍