• Google launches 'AI First' accelerator in India with MeitY to support Seed to Series A AI startups.
• Selected startups get mentorship, Google Cloud credits, and access to tools like Gemini and Imagen.
• Applications close on June 30, 2025; program kicks off in September with a Demo Day in December.

Google has introduced a new program to drive the growth of artificial intelligence startups in India at a faster pace. Called the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First, the program is being introduced in collaboration with the MeitY Startup Hub and will aim to empower early-stage startups in the Seed to Series A category building innovative AI products and models. Emphasis will be on startups building in emerging areas such as Agentic AI and Multimodal AI, which will revolutionise the future of the AI ecosystem in a new way.

The chosen start-ups will be able to take advantage of a broad spectrum of benefits with the objective of enhancing their business and product development. The start-ups will get one-on-one guidance from Google's best experts, including Google DeepMind, Google Health, and Google Cloud teams. Apart from weekly support sessions, the start-ups will have free access to Cloud TPUs, eligible Google Cloud credits, and advanced AI tools like Gemini and Imagen. Google's AI experts will work directly with the participating start-ups to assist them in integrating advanced AI models into their products and platforms.

The impact of the accelerator program has already been established by earlier cohorts. Startups that participated in the program in 2024 collectively raised over $61 million in follow-on funding. Success stories include SpotDraft, which used Google's Gemini API to automate its contract management platform, leading to an 80% reduction in operations cost. Another success story, Kroop AI, leveraged the program's resources to develop its deepfake detection platform and saw a 40% increase in user engagement. The 2025 accelerator will start with a bootcamp this September, which will be intense, and culminate with a Demo Day in December when the startups will showcase their creations to industry leaders, investors, and potential partners. The applications have already been launched and will close on June 30, 2025.

This effort is another strategic move by Google to encourage India's rapidly developing AI startup ecosystem and establish India as a significant global AI innovation hub.