Google announces 20 AI-first startups for accelerator programme in India

Start-ups representing AI innovations in India and tackling diverse challenges, ranging from discovering antibodies to detecting identity fraud, are part of the eighth class of Google for Startups Accelerator: India. Other start-ups which have been selected by Google are helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to reach more customers, reducing developers’ repetitive work, and focusing on building solutions that use AI to address systemic challenges.

The class features 20 AI-first start-ups in the Seed to Series A stage who were selected from over 720 applications across the country.

“In India, we are committed to fostering an environment that nurtures innovative start-ups and fuels the rapidly evolving AI landscape of the Indian start-up ecosystem,” said Farish CV, Program Manager, Google for Startups Accelerator, India, in a company blog post. “Our goal is to enable the development and scaling of responsible and human-centered AI solutions that positively impact various industries and transform lives.”

For instance, in the area of healthcare, there is a firm called Endimension, which is an end-to-end AI platform for radiology diagnosis. Another start-up called Onward Assist, helps improve cancer outcomes by assisting the cancer biopsy reporting process through an AI-based solution that assists cancer pathologists with accurate scoring, tumour detection, and workflow software. Google has also selected immunitoAI, a tech-bio company developing AI-generated novel antibody therapeutics with pre-defined drug properties.

There are many other interesting firms. GalaxEye Space is building next-generation imaging satellites using multiple sensors and Generative AI for night and cloud-proof imaging. FilterPixel provides AI software that saves hours by automatically selecting the best photos from thousands of photos and then editing them automatically as per the style of the photographer. Kalam, a personalized mentorship and discipline-facilitating learning ecosystem using AI, addresses the challenges of affordability and accessibility to quality education in India. NeuroPixel.AI, a deep tech start-up, is working in the intersection of Generative AI and Computer Vision, primarily focused on fashion e-commerce. Another firm, Prescinto, is an AI-powered SaaS platform that regularly collects renewable energy plant (solar, wind, storage) data. It then applies machine learning and AI models to this data to identify causes for underperformance and suggests work orders to increase electricity generation from.

“We kickstarted the program this week with a week-long in-person boot camp that includes training workshops and mentorship support around product, design, tech, growth, and people,” said Farish of Google.

Since 2016, Google said its accelerator programs have played a pivotal role in helping leading start-ups in India and worldwide to grow and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. “We recently launched our inaugural Accelerator Impact Report, highlighting the impact that over 1100 start-up alumni from the Google for Startups Accelerator programs have made within their industries and ecosystems,” said Farish.