AI First
India - Hybrid
3 months
Seed to Series A
A 3-month equity-free accelerator program for AI-First startups between Seed to Series A based in India.
Selected startups receive expert mentorship and support around AI/ML (including Generative AI), UX, Android, Web, Product, Leadership and Growth.
India - Hybrid
3 months
Seed to Series A
About the program
About the program
This accelerator focuses on bringing the best of Google’s technology, products, people and network to empower AI-First startups who are solving meaningful problems across various industries to grow in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI.
Founders outline the top technical and business challenges for their startup, and are then paired with relevant experts from both Google and the industry to solve those challenges and grow their business.
In addition to mentorship and technical project support, this accelerator includes deep dives and workshops focused on product design, customer acquisition, and leadership development for founders.
Key benefits
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Equity-free support
Equity-free support: For duration of program.
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Mentoring
Dedicated mentoring from Google teams.
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Training
Exclusive invitations to technical bootcamps hosted by Google where offered.
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Access to experts
Access to Google's network of industry experts.
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Google product credits
Eligible startups receive product credits.
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Early access
Access to new Google products and tools as relevant.
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Strategic support
Support on company and product strategy.
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Technical project partnership
Work hand in hand with experts from Google on your biggest tech challenges.
Entry Criteria
Entry Criteria
- Startups demonstrating traction, ideally between Seed and Series A stage
- Startups based/headquartered in India
- Building a scalable product or service with a significant total addressable market and defensible growth model
- Deeply technical, leveraging technologies like machine learning and AI
- Commitment from founder(s) and/or relevant people from startups to participate and engage in required program sessions
- We are committed to building accelerator classes that are diverse and inclusive, and encourage applications from qualified startups with founders of all backgrounds
Key Dates
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May 19, 2024
Applications Close
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July, 2024
Program Kick-off
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October, 2024
Graduation
Meet the Cohort
Accelerator Alumni
Meet our mentors
VP, Customer Experience
Head of Customer Engineering - Digital Natives & Emerging Startups
India Lead, Google Health
Group Product Manager, Google Search / Co-founder, nearbuy
Co-Founder
Staff Software Engineer, Google Research
Director, Customer Engineering, Google Cloud
Director, Google Research India
Director, New Business Sales Head
Design Director
Director, Google Play, India
Director - Product Management
Head - VC & Startups Coverage
Senior Product Manager
Developer Advocate , Developer Relations (Android)
Co-founder & COO
Product Manager
Lead, Developer Ecosystem India & MENA-T
UX & Product Design Coach
Founder
Head of DEI Recruiting , APAC
Head of Scaled Partnerships, Google Play
CEO
Founding Partner
Customer Engineer
Partner Manager, Google Play
Chief Design Officer
Staff Design Lead/Manager
Developer Advocate
Staff Web Ecosystem Consultant
Product Strategy Consultant & Coach
Frequently asked questions
No, we do not take any equity or charge fee. The Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First programs are completely free of charge for all startups. All you need to contribute is your time and energy.
The accelerator program currently runs as a hybrid program. During the beginning of the program, we work with the startups selected into the accelerator and the anchor mentors to determine each startup’s challenges and support required from the program. Then these startups will go through an intensive 1-week long in-person Bootcamp around topics such as Product, Design, Technology, People & Growth, followed by the OKR (Objective Key Results) workshop to define their objective for the next 3 months.
The next two months of the program is all about supporting startups executing these objectives by providing access to our global network, 1:1 mentorships and 1:many sessions on demand virtually. The startups will also be paired with a dedicated Startup Success Manager (SSM) from Google to help startups get the best of Google - its people, network, thought leadership, and technology.
The graduated startups will be showcased through an in-person Demo Day with Google teams, mentors, VCs, media and different stakeholders from the Indian startup ecosystem. The engagement with the graduated startups will be continued through the Alumni program & network.
Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First will run from July to October 2024. You can refer to the key dates section above for more information.
Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First targets Seed to Series A funded AI-First startups headquartered in India.
The startups should be past the "idea stage" with some level of customer validation and market traction with their product.
We are looking for Indian startups that are solving problems using advanced technology like AI/ML or data in healthcare, education, finance, media & entertainment, gaming, enterprise & other industries and that can scale globally.
We review the completed applications from the startups in parallel to the application phase to check their eligibility for the accelerator program. The eligible applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts/program team and shortlist 40-60 startups for the interview/pitch session to evaluate the team, problem, solution and scalability. Then the shortlisted startups from the interview/pitch phase will be reviewed by the selection board for the final list. The final list of startups will receive the program contract to sign for the official announcement.
Note: All incomplete applications after the application deadline will be ineligible.
For over five years, Google has operated its Launchpad Accelerators which reach entrepreneurs in over 40 countries and include some of the most successful startups in the world in its global portfolio. Towards the end of 2019, all Launchpad Accelerators were renamed to Google for Startups Accelerator to simplify Google's startup offerings.
We also have other startup programs in the region, find more details here.
The accelerator will be a hybrid one with a mix of virtual and in-person sessions.
Startups must meet specific criteria to be eligible for Google product credit offerings. To learn more about the Google Cloud credit eligibility requirements, please visit the Google Cloud startup page.