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Accel Atoms and Google’s AI Futures Fund announce AI cohort 2026

Entrackr · 1d ago

Medial

Accel and Google’s AI Futures Fund (AIFF) has announced the five startups joining the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort. This partnership combines Accel’s journey of supporting Indian founders with Google’s frontier AI infrastructure to help early-stage teams move from initial concept to global scale. Selected from more than 4,000 applications, each startup will receive a co-investment of up to $2 million, split equally between Accel and the Google AI Futures Fund, alongside up to $350,000 in compute credits spanning Google Cloud, Gemini, and Google DeepMind resources. The 2026 Cohort spans five high impact verticals, showcasing both the breadth of AI innovation and India’s growing role in building globally scalable solutions. The cohort includes K-Dense, building an AI co-scientist to accelerate discovery in life sciences, physics, chemistry and beyond; Dodge.ai, bringing autonomous AI agents to modernise ERP systems; Persistence Labs, applying voice AI to transform large scale call centre operations; Zingroll, building AI native entertainment and streaming experiences for consumers; and LevelPlane, advancing industrial automation for precision-led automotive and aerospace manufacturing. Atoms represents Accel's ongoing commitment of backing India's most innovative founders at the earliest stages of their journey. As the first partner to many of India's most successful, category-defining companies - including Flipkart, Freshworks, Swiggy, Urban Company, Zetwerk, and Cure.fit, Accel leverages its deep network and experience to help pre-seed founders navigate the 0-to-1 journey. Accel has backed over 45 companies through Accel Atoms and these startups have collectively raised over $300 million in follow-on funding in their journey of building category-defining businesses. Together, these initiatives represent a new era for early-stage innovation in India, where global capital and technology converge to accelerate founder journeys. 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.