内容来源：https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/24/google-teams-up-with-accel-to-hunt-for-indias-next-ai-breakouts/

内容总结：

谷歌与知名风投机构Accel近日宣布达成战略合作，双方将通过Accel旗下早期孵化计划"Atoms"，共同筛选并投资印度人工智能初创企业。这项合作属于谷歌今年新设立的"AI未来基金"全球首例专项合作计划。

根据协议，双方将为每家入选的2026届初创企业提供最高200万美元融资（各出资100万美元），重点扶持从创立初期就专注AI产品开发的印度本土及海外印度裔创业者。Accel合伙人Prayank Swaroop表示，该计划旨在"为亿万印度用户开发AI产品，同时支持立足印度、面向全球的AI解决方案"。

印度作为全球第二大互联网和智能手机市场，拥有深厚的工程技术人才储备，但在尖端AI模型研发领域仍落后于中美两国。近期行业出现转变迹象：OpenAI与Anthropic等国际巨头相继宣布进驻印度，全球资本也开始加大早期投资力度。市场分析认为，印度庞大的移动互联网用户基数、持续扩张的云基础设施及较低的软件开发成本，有望推动其成为重要AI市场。

除资金支持外，入选团队将获得价值35万美元的谷歌云、Gemini和DeepMind算力额度，优先获取最新AI模型接口，并获得谷歌实验室与DeepMind研究团队的联合开发支持。项目还包含伦敦及硅谷的沉浸式培训，以及通过双方全球渠道的市场资源对接。

谷歌AI未来基金联合创始人Jonathan Silber强调，这是该基金在全球范围内的首个合作项目，选择印度源于对其创新传统的认可。此次合作延续了谷歌在印度的持续投入，包括近期公布的15亿美元数据中心建设计划、2020年设立的100亿美元数字化基金，以及上月与信实工业合作为数亿Jio用户提供免费AI服务的项目。

值得注意的是，谷歌明确表示不会强制要求被投企业使用其AI产品。Silber指出："当谷歌技术最具优势时我们自然推荐，但创业者同样可以选用Anthropic或OpenAI的解决方案。"目前Accel的Atoms计划已孵化40余家企业，累计获得后续融资超3亿美元。

（注：原文中关于"Disrupt 2026"会议推广内容及部分重复信息已根据新闻报道规范进行过滤处理）

中文翻译：

谷歌与Accel近日达成合作，双方将共同发掘并资助印度处于萌芽阶段的人工智能初创企业。这是谷歌今年早些时候设立的"AI未来基金"首次开展此类合作。

周二，Accel与谷歌宣布建立合作伙伴关系，通过Accel的Atoms计划为每家初创企业提供最高200万美元的联合投资，双方各出资不超过100万美元。2026届计划将重点关注在印度本土及海外侨民中，从创立伊始就专注AI产品开发的创业者。

Accel合伙人Prayank Swaroop向TechCrunch表示："我们的核心理念是：既要为数十亿印度民众打造AI产品，也要支持立足印度、面向全球市场的AI产品开发。"

印度作为全球仅次于中国的第二大互联网和智能手机市场，拥有深厚的工程技术人才储备，是一个极具吸引力的市场。但与此同时，这个国家在尖端模型开发领域仍存空白，尚未涌现出大量推动AI技术前沿发展的企业，该领域的创新目前仍集中在美国和中国。

不过局势正在悄然改变。随着OpenAI和Anthropic等巨头近期相继宣布在印度设立办事处，加上全球投资者加大早期投资力度，市场格局开始转变。业界押注的是：如果印度生态系统能将人才与需求转化为原创研究与产品，那么其庞大的移动端优先人口、不断扩张的云基础设施以及相对较低的软件成本，有望使印度成长为举足轻重的AI市场。

Swaroop表示投资将覆盖几乎所有领域："从创意、娱乐到编程和工作场景。这里所说的'工作'范畴更广，本质上涵盖SaaS及所有其他应用领域。"他向TechCrunch透露，"甚至包括基础模型开发。"

Swaroop称两家机构还将尝试预测未来12-24个月内可能取得突破的大语言模型领域，并寻找在这些方向发力的印度初创企业。

除资金支持外，入选创始人将获得总额35万美元的谷歌云、Gemini和DeepMind算力积分，并优先获得Gemini和DeepMind的模型、API及实验功能使用权。该项目还包含谷歌实验室和DeepMind研究团队的技术支持、共同开发机会、每月与Accel合伙人及谷歌技术负责人的导师会议，以及前往伦敦和湾区的沉浸式交流（含谷歌I/O大会）。两家公司表示，创始人还将通过Accel和谷歌的全球渠道获得营销支持，并接入Atoms创始人网络与谷歌AI开发生态系统。

"印度拥有辉煌的创新历史，我们坚信其创业者将在下一代AI驱动的全球科技浪潮中扮演引领角色，"谷歌AI未来基金联合创始人兼总监Jonathan Silber向TechCrunch表示，"这是该基金在全球范围内的首次此类合作，我们选择印度有其深意。谷歌始终是印度数字化转型之路上的坚定伙伴，多年来已投入数十亿美元。"

此次合作紧随谷歌近期宣布的150亿美元印度投资计划——建设总容量达1吉瓦的数据中心和AI枢纽。该公司还曾在2020年设立100亿美元数字化基金，已投资包括Bharti Airtel、信实Jio和沃尔玛旗下Flipkart等企业。上月，谷歌与信实合作向数千万Jio用户免费开放AI Pro服务。

谷歌于今年5月推出AI未来基金，作为在全球范围内投资并与AI初创企业合作的专项载体。该基金已投资Replit和Harvey等公司，并直接投资了Toonsutra和STAN等印度初创企业。

Silber向TechCrunch透露，谷歌将出现在通过该合作获得投资的初创公司股东名册中，并成为"重要存在"，但拒绝透露其持股比例与Accel的对比情况。

"这是我们与深谙印度市场的行业领导者携手的一次尝试，他们能帮助我们在早期阶段就与创业者建立联系，这种合作能真正推动变革，"Silber表示。

尽管申请该项目的企业使用谷歌产品或许在所难免，但Silber和Swaroop均向TechCrunch强调，不会要求初创企业必须独家使用Gemini或其他谷歌产品。

"有时谷歌技术是最佳选择，有时则可能是Anthropic或OpenAI。我们不会强制要求只能使用谷歌模型，"Silber解释道，"但我们期待与这些公司开展多种独特合作，共同利用谷歌AI技术。"

Accel于2021年推出的预种子轮和种子轮平台Atoms已资助40余家企业，这些企业后续融资总额超3亿美元。今年该计划已扩展至涵盖海外印度裔创业者。

此次合作宣布前夕，Accel刚与Prosus达成协议，共同投资Atoms X项目，支持致力于开发惠及印度大众的大规模解决方案的早期创业者。

Silber向TechCrunch明确表示，谷歌并未将此次合作视为未来收购或获取云客户的途径："我们不是销售团队，不会专门寻求新的云客户。这并非我们的目标。就关键绩效指标而言，我们的目标很简单——见证印度涌现下一波AI创新浪潮。"

英文来源：

Google has partnered with Accel to find and fund India’s earliest-stage AI startups in a first-of-its-kind collaboration for the Google AI Futures Fund, launched earlier this year.
On Tuesday, Accel and Google announced a partnership to jointly invest up to $2 million in each startup through Accel’s Atoms program, with both firms contributing up to $1 million. The 2026 cohort will focus on founders in India and the Indian diaspora building AI products from day one.
“The thought process is building AI products for billions of Indians, as well as supporting AI products built in India for global markets,” Prayank Swaroop, a partner at Accel, told TechCrunch.
India is an appealing market with the world’s second-largest internet and smartphone base after China and its deep engineering talent. Still, it’s also a country that lacks frontier model development and hasn’t produced many companies pushing the technical frontier of AI, where development remains concentrated in the U.S. and China.
Activity is starting to shift, however, as major firms including OpenAI and Anthropic have recently announced offices in the country, and global investors step up early-stage commitments. The bet is that a large, mobile-first population, expanding cloud infrastructure, and relatively low software costs could turn India into a meaningful AI market — if the ecosystem can translate talent and demand into original research and products.
Swaroop said investments will be geared toward just about any area: creativity, entertainment, coding, and work. “The future of work here is more encompassing, which is essentially SaaS, and all other applications,” he told TechCrunch. “It could even be foundational models.”
Swaroop said the firms will also try to identify areas where large language models are likely to advance over the next 12-24 months and look for Indian startups building in those directions.
Join the Disrupt 2026 Waitlist
Add yourself to the Disrupt 2026 waitlist to be first in line when Early Bird tickets drop. Past Disrupts have brought Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, and Vinod Khosla to the stages — part of 250+ industry leaders driving 200+ sessions built to fuel your growth and sharpen your edge. Plus, meet the hundreds of startups innovating across every sector.
Join the Disrupt 2026 Waitlist
Add yourself to the Disrupt 2026 waitlist to be first in line when Early Bird tickets drop. Past Disrupts have brought Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, and Vinod Khosla to the stages — part of 250+ industry leaders driving 200+ sessions built to fuel your growth and sharpen your edge. Plus, meet the hundreds of startups innovating across every sector.
Alongside capital, founders will receive up to $350,000 in compute credits across Google Cloud, Gemini, and DeepMind, as well as early access to Gemini and DeepMind models, APIs, and experimental features. The program will include support from Google Labs and DeepMind research teams, co-development opportunities, monthly mentorship with Accel partners and Google technical leads, and immersion sessions in London and the Bay Area, including Google I/O. Founders will also get marketing support through Accel and Google’s global channels, as well as access to the Atoms founder network and Google’s AI builder ecosystem, the companies said.
“India has an incredible history of innovation, and we firmly believe that its founders are going to be playing a leading role in the next generation of AI-led global technology,” Jonathan Silber, co-founder and director of the Google AI Futures Fund, told TechCrunch. “This is the Futures Fund’s first such collaboration anywhere in the world, and we chose India for a reason. Google has been a committed partner in the country’s journey to digital transformation, with multibillion-dollar investments over the years.”
The partnership follows Google’s recent $15 billion plan to build a 1-gigawatt data center and AI hub in India. The company also announced a $10 billion digitization fund in 2020, which has backed firms including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Walmart-owned Flipkart. Last month, Google partnered with Reliance to offer millions of Jio users free access to AI Pro.
Google launched the AI Futures Fund in May as a dedicated vehicle to invest in and collaborate with AI startups globally. It has backed companies including Replit and Harvey, and has also invested directly in Indian startups such as Toonsutra and STAN.
Silber told TechCrunch that Google would appear on the cap tables of startups funded through the partnership and would be “a material presence,” but declined to share how its equity stakes would compare with Accel’s.
“This is our attempt to work with the market leader in the space who knows the country incredibly well, that can get us talking to earlier-stage founders at an early informative stage, that can move the needle,” Silber said.
While using Google products is, perhaps, a given for applicants to this program, both Silber and Swaroop told TechCrunch there would be no requirements for startups to exclusively use Gemini or any other Google product.
“Sometimes, Google’s technology is the best. Other times, you’ll see Anthropic or OpenAI. So, we’re not putting firm requirements that say you can only use Google’s models,” said Silber. “What we’re hoping to do, though, is find a couple of different unique integrations that we can do with these companies that leverage Google AI technology.”
Launched in 2021, Accel’s pre-seed and seed platform, Atoms, has backed more than 40 companies that have collectively raised over $300 million in follow-on funding. The firm expanded the program this year to include Indian-origin founders based overseas.
The latest collaboration comes days after Accel’s partnership with Prosus to co-invest in Atoms X, backing early-stage Indian founders building large-scale solutions with the potential to serve the masses in the country.
Silber told TechCrunch that Google is not structuring the partnership as a pathway to future acquisitions, or even future cloud customers.
“We’re not a sales team, so we’re not specifically looking to sign up new cloud customers. That’s not our goal,” he said. “In terms of KPIs, our objective is simply to see the next wave of innovation in the AI space coming out of India.”