Google, Accel Select Five Indian Startups for AI Cohort

Google and venture capital firm Accel have selected five Indian startups for their 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, providing each with up to $2 million in funding and resources to advance innovative artificial intelligence applications in enterprise, voice, and industrial sectors.

The announcement, made on March 16 in Bengaluru, highlights a competitive process that reviewed more than 4,000 applications. The chosen companies—KDense, Dodge.ai, Persistence Labs, Zingroll, and LevelPlane—focus on solving complex problems through AI integration. Each will receive up to $350,000 in compute credits for Google Cloud services, along with early access to Google's foundational models such as Gemini and resources from Google DeepMind. The program also offers mentorship from industry experts and immersion opportunities in locations including London and the Bay Area.

The startups represent diverse applications of AI. KDense is developing an AI co-scientist to accelerate discoveries in life sciences, physics, and chemistry. Dodge.ai aims to integrate autonomous AI agents into enterprise resource planning systems to modernize workflows. Persistence Labs is applying voice AI technology to enhance...