May 14, 2025: India is set to gain deeper investment into its AI-driven future. Applications are now open for Google’s AI First Accelerator: India 2025, and this time, the tech giant isn’t just offering mentorship—it’s inviting Indian founders to help shape the future of artificial intelligence. With India’s generative AI market projected to top $17 billion by 2030, the timing of this accelerator is no coincidence.
This isn’t just another AI First Accelerator startup program—it’s a high-stakes runway for early-stage ventures (Seed to Series A) building frontier tech in Agentic and Multimodal AI. Selected startups won’t just get guidance; they’ll gain direct access to Google’s most advanced AI models, including Gemini, Gemma, Imagen, and Veo, as well as support from teams at DeepMind, Cloud, Android, and more.
What makes this year different? Google is going all-in. Through its AI Futures Fund, the company will not only provide capital but also early access to its proprietary models, technical resources, and cloud infrastructure—with eligible startups receiving Cloud TPUs, credits, and distribution support via Google Cloud Marketplace.
But beyond the tools and funding, there’s a bigger play unfolding. Google is deepening its roots in India’s fast-maturing AI ecosystem. The government-backed IndiaAI Mission has put AI innovation on the national agenda, aiming to drive a $1 trillion digital economy by 2028. Google’s accelerator fits squarely within that vision, now supported by the MeitY Startup Hub.
And Google has the track record to back its pitch. Last year, participants in the same accelerator raised over $61 million in funding and gained access to new markets via Google Cloud’s platform. That traction is now the benchmark—and the promise—for this year’s cohort.
Google’s AI First Accelerator, Why This Matters: The $17 Billion Opportunity
India’s Generative AI market is projected to surpass $17 billion by 2030, and with the government’s IndiaAI Mission aiming to build a $1 trillion digital economy by 2028, there’s no better time for startups to stake their claim.
Unlike traditional accelerators, this isn’t just about scaling—it’s about reshaping how startups build, train, and deploy AI from the ground up. It’s about giving founders access to Google’s bleeding-edge tools, including Gemini, Imagen, Gemma, and Veo, as well as support from teams across DeepMind, Cloud, Android, Play, Ads, and more.
What Startups Get at the Google AI First Accelerator Program : Investment, Tech, Traction
This isn’t theory. It’s traction. Startups accepted into the AI First Accelerator program receive:
- Direct Google investment
- Early access to Google’s AI models
- Free Google Cloud TPUs and cloud credits
- Hands-on technical support from Google researchers and engineers
- Dedicated startup success managers
- Access to the Google Cloud Marketplace
Last year’s cohort raised a combined $61 million, and several startups gained marketplace access that unlocked global reach and product refinement.
Reading Between the Lines: Google’s Quiet Push Against AWS & Microsoft
This AI first accelerator isn’t happening in a vacuum. Google’s move comes amid an escalating global AI arms race. Amazon is pumping billions into Anthropic. Microsoft, through OpenAI, has taken an aggressive lead in AI integration. But Google’s strategy is subtle and strategic—build from the ground up, empower Indian innovation, and create long-term ecosystem lock-in through cloud, tools, and funding.
Agentic & Multimodal: The Next Frontier of AI Startups
By prioritizing Agentic and Multimodal AI, Google is betting big on AI that can reason, act autonomously, and interpret a variety of inputs—text, image, audio, and video. This is a cue for founders to build not just cool AI apps but AI-native platforms that can scale globally.
If you’re building the next breakthrough in AI—from autonomous agents to multimodal content generation—this may be your best shot to gain Google’s backing, mentorship, and distribution firepower.
Google Is Recruiting India’s Next AI Unicorns
The AI First Accelerator: India 2025 isn’t just an opportunity—it’s a signal. Google isn’t just investing in startups; it’s investing in India’s role in shaping the next generation of artificial intelligence.
For founders, this is the moment to turn moonshots into reality. Applications are now open. The future? That’s on you.
