Google for Startups

Start by choosing the right programme

• Building a core AI product, headquartered in India, between seed and Series A: the Accelerator: India programme.
• An early-stage startup that wants a desk and mentoring in Hyderabad: the Google for Startups Hub on the T-Hub campus.
• Still exploring building with prompt-based AI tools: the Startup School sessions, now available on demand.
• Building on Google Cloud or Firebase: the Cloud Program, which is applied to separately.

How applications work

The India accelerator takes applications for each intake. When an intake has closed, the programme page lets you register interest and hear about the next one; the 2026 intake closed on 19 April 2026. The Hyderabad hub collects interest through a form hosted by T-Hub, and publishes no deadlines or cohort dates. Note that cloud credits during the accelerator are not automatic: startups interested in them apply separately, subject to eligibility review and approval.

How selection works

For the India accelerator, applications are checked for eligibility as they come in. A panel of experts and the programme team then shortlist 40 to 60 startups for an interview and pitch session. A selection board picks the final startups from that shortlist, and the selected startups sign a programme contract.

What reviewers look for

• Team, problem, solution and scalability. These are what the interview and pitch session evaluate.
• Traction. Applications should be past the idea stage, with customer validation and market traction.
• A technical, AI-first product. Core AI applications, agentic AI solutions or foundational models, built by a deeply technical team.
• Founder commitment. The CEO, CTO and appropriate team members must be available for all elements of the programme.

Google for Startups is Google's programme for startup founders. In India it runs a three-month equity-free accelerator for AI-first startups, a hub on the T-Hub campus in Hyderabad, and short training courses. It also runs a standing cloud-support programme for startups building on Google Cloud and Firebase. Google for Startups is a corporate programme run by Google, not an independent accelerator, and it works with founders in India and in other countries.

How programmes work

The main India offering is the Google for Startups Accelerator: India. It is a three-month, equity-free, hybrid programme for AI-first startups, with a mix of virtual and in-person sessions. Each cohort is 10 to 15 startups, brought together to work on technical challenges that can grow their businesses through remote and in-person one-to-one sessions, group learning and sprint projects. The 2026 edition kicked off in June 2026 and graduated in September 2026. Applications for that edition closed on 19 April 2026; founders can register interest for future programmes.

Alongside the accelerator, Google is opening a Google for Startups Hub within the T-Hub campus in Hyderabad, in partnership with the Government of Telangana and T-Hub. Startups can apply for a dedicated seat with complimentary year-long co-working access for their team, and the hub also runs workshops and mentorship. A past training offer, Startup School: Prompt to Prototype, ran online in India over two weeks in late 2025 for non-technical and creative founders. Its sessions are now available on demand.

Google also runs the Google for Startups Cloud Program. This is a global programme rather than an India-specific offer. It gives startups product and technical support, dedicated mentors and industry experts, and covers Google Cloud and Firebase costs over the first years in the programme. Startups that are not yet backed with equity funding, and startups that already are, apply through different tiers, and AI startups also get dedicated AI training and webinars.

Who can apply

The India accelerator is for AI-first startups headquartered in India, between seed and Series A, building core AI applications, agentic AI solutions or foundational models. Google looks for teams past the idea stage, with customer validation and market traction, building a scalable product with a significant total addressable market and a defensible growth model. The work is expected to be deeply technical, in machine learning and AI. Commitment matters: the CEO, CTO and appropriate team members must be available for all elements of the programme.

The Hyderabad hub is aimed at early-stage startups ready to take their venture further. It also has separate tracks for venture capitalists, and for government and ecosystem enablers. Prompt to Prototype was for non-technical and creative founders, and for people exploring entrepreneurship. The Cloud Program asks for a Google Cloud account and billing ID, a public company website, a matching company email domain, and a company founded within five years of applying — within ten years for its Scale tier.

Facilities

The one India facility is the Google for Startups Hub in Hyderabad, inside the T-Hub campus. A dedicated seat there comes with complimentary year-long co-working access for a startup's team. The hub also puts event space at the disposal of government and ecosystem enablers, and offers seats to venture capitalists. The India accelerator runs as a hybrid programme rather than as a residency, so there is no programme workspace attached to it.

Scale

Google's India pages give programme sizes rather than portfolio totals. Each accelerator cohort is 10 to 15 startups. From the eligible applications, a panel shortlists 40 to 60 startups for the interview and pitch session. No total count of startups supported in India is published. As background, the earlier Launchpad Accelerators ran for over five years and reached entrepreneurs in over 40 countries, and they were renamed to Google for Startups Accelerator towards the end of 2019.

Who runs it

Google for Startups is run by Google. The Hyderabad hub is a partnership with the Government of Telangana and T-Hub. Accelerator cohorts draw on Google teams and Google's network of industry experts for mentoring, and the Cloud Program pairs startups with dedicated mentors and industry experts alongside its product and technical support.

Locations

Google for Startups is a global programme with one India accelerator and one India physical space. The accelerator is run as a hybrid programme for startups headquartered in India. The hub sits inside the T-Hub campus in Hyderabad. The Cloud Program is offered more widely, with no India-specific terms published on its pages.