New Delhi: Google on Monday announced the 2026 cohort of its Play Accelerator India programme, selecting 20 artificial intelligence-powered startups operating across education, healthcare, gaming, agriculture, finance, e-commerce, productivity, lifestyle and entertainment.
The three-month, equity-free programme will provide participants with hands-on support in AI integration, app quality, security, growth and monetisation. It combines Google Play’s product expertise with the wider Google technology ecosystem to help Indian app developers build trusted, scalable and globally relevant products, the company said.
The selected startups are applying AI to a range of challenges, including improving access to healthcare, supporting farmers, personalising exam preparation, enhancing sports coaching, enabling small businesses to receive payments faster, and creating new gaming and entertainment experiences.
Aditya Swamy, Managing Director of Google Play Partnerships, said India’s next wave of app innovation is being built with AI at its centre. “Through Google Play Accelerator India, we want to support founders across the full journey, from product quality and AI integration to growth, security, monetisation and global scale,” he said.
Paul Ravindranath, Regional Lead for Developer and Startup Programs at Google, said the programme is designed to deliver practical support to high-potential app and game startups at a critical stage of their growth. “Over the next three months, we will work closely with these founders on product quality, responsible AI integration, security, growth and monetisation, helping them strengthen their apps for users in India and global markets,” he said.
The startups selected for the 2026 cohort are Chaupal, ChennaiGames, Dalvoy, Frontier Markets, GAPE Labs, Grape, HeyDoc AI, Kisanwala, Lingopanda, LUZO, Machaxi, MetaShot, MindYourLogic Studios, MrMed, Plutus Labs, Regain, Swipe, UrbanPro, Zave AI and Zet.
Google said the initiative aims to help participating companies improve product quality, strengthen security standards, expand user reach and explore opportunities in global markets while leveraging AI-led innovation.
Google Play Accelerator India focuses on mentoring promising Indian app and gaming startups across product development, responsible AI integration, growth strategies and monetisation. The latest cohort reflects the company’s continued emphasis on supporting AI-driven applications developed for both domestic and international users.