Accel Atoms and Google’s AI Futures Fund Announce AI Cohort 2026
K-Dense, Dodge.ai, Persistence Labs, Zingroll, and LevelPlane selected for Accel Atoms AI Cohort 2026.
[L-R] Prayank Swaroop ( Partner at Accel) & Jonathan Silber (Co-founder and Director of the Google AI Futures Fund)
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Accel and Google’s AI Futures Fund have announced the five startups selected for the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, a programme aimed at supporting early-stage artificial intelligence ventures. The initiative combines Accel’s experience in backing Indian startups with Google’s AI infrastructure to help young companies develop their ideas and scale globally.
The cohort was chosen from more than 4,000 applications. Each selected startup will receive co-investment of up to USD 2 million, equally funded by Accel and the Google AI Futures Fund. In addition to funding, the startups will gain access to up to USD 350,000 in computing credits that can be used across Google Cloud, Gemini and Google DeepMind tools.
The five startups represent a range of sectors where artificial intelligence is expected to bring major changes. According to the organisers, the selected companies focus on areas such as scientific research, enterprise software, voice technology, digital entertainment and industrial manufacturing.
One of the companies in the cohort is K-Dense, founded by Timothy Kassis and Dave Zang. The startup is developing an AI “co-scientist” designed to assist researchers in solving complex problems in life sciences, physics and chemistry. Its open-source tools are already being used by researchers around the world.
Another selected company is Dodge.ai, founded by Rebhav Bharadwaj and Aditya Thakur in 2025. Based in San Francisco, the startup is building autonomous AI agents to help manage enterprise resource planning systems, particularly those used in SAP environments.
Persistence Labs, led by Utkarsh Marwaha, is focusing on voice AI technology for call centres. The company aims to introduce intelligent voice automation that can handle customer interactions in real time, targeting a large and often underserved customer service market.
Zingroll, founded by Harshit Yadav, is developing an AI-based entertainment platform that streams films and shows generated using artificial intelligence. The San Francisco startup aims to combine high production quality with free access similar to online video platforms.
The fifth startup, LevelPlane, created by Vineeth Rajagopal and Suri Chawla, is working on AI-driven automation for manufacturing. Its technology is designed to improve precision and efficiency in the automotive and aerospace production sectors.
Accel launched the Atoms programme to support founders at the earliest stages of building technology companies. The venture capital firm has previously backed startups such as Flipkart, Freshworks, Swiggy, Urban Company, Zetwerk and Cure.fit.
So far, more than 45 companies have been supported through Accel Atoms, collectively raising over USD 300 million in follow-on funding. The new AI cohort reflects the growing role of Indian-linked innovation in developing globally relevant technology solutions.
Accel and Google’s AI Futures Fund have announced the five startups selected for the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, a programme aimed at supporting early-stage artificial intelligence ventures. The initiative combines Accel’s experience in backing Indian startups with Google’s AI infrastructure to help young companies develop their ideas and scale globally.
The cohort was chosen from more than 4,000 applications. Each selected startup will receive co-investment of up to USD 2 million, equally funded by Accel and the Google AI Futures Fund. In addition to funding, the startups will gain access to up to USD 350,000 in computing credits that can be used across Google Cloud, Gemini and Google DeepMind tools.
The five startups represent a range of sectors where artificial intelligence is expected to bring major changes. According to the organisers, the selected companies focus on areas such as scientific research, enterprise software, voice technology, digital entertainment and industrial manufacturing.
