On Monday, the US-based tech giant Google announced the 2026 cohort for its Play Accelerator India program. Under this initiative, 20 AI-powered startups have been selected from sectors such as education, healthcare, finance, e-commerce, gaming, agriculture,productivity, entertainment and lifestyle.
According to this technology company, this initiative brings together Google Play’s product expertise and Google’s extensive technology ecosystem, enabling Indian app developers to build products that are reliable, scalable, and globally viable.
Startups participating in this three-month, equity-free program will receive practical support regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration, growth, monetization, app quality and security.
The report further states that the selected startups are addressing challenges across various sectors with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These startups are working on improving access to healthcare services, providing technical support to farmers, personalizing exam preparation, making sports training more effective, facilitating faster payments for small businesses, and developing new and enhanced experiences in the fields of gaming and entertainment.
Paul Ravindranath, Regional Lead for Developer and Startup Programs at Google, said that this program is designed to provide practical support to high-potential app and game startups at critical stages of their growth.
2026 Cohort: Meet the Selected Startups Driving Innovation
The startups selected for the 2026 cohort include Chaupal, MrMed, Plutus Labs, Regain, Swipe, UrbanPro, Zave AI, Zet, ChennaiGames, Dalvoy, Frontier Markets, GAPE Labs, Grape, HeyDoc AI, Kisanwala, Lingopanda, LUZO, Machaxi, MetaShot and MindYourLogic Studios.
Aditya Swamy, Managing Director of Google Play Partnerships, said, “The next wave of app innovation in India is being built with AI at its core. Through the Google Play Accelerator India, we aim to support founders throughout their entire journey, covering everything from product quality and AI integration to growth, security, monetization, and global expansion.”
Google stated that the objective of Google Play Accelerator India is to help Indian app and gaming startups build better products and expand globally by providing guidance on AI-driven innovation, product development, security, growth strategies, and monetization.
(Telangana Today)
