Google launches Google Market Access Program for Indian startups

Google has launched Google Market Access Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative to help Indian startups strengthen their go-to-market efforts, at the Google AI Startups Conclave which was held on January 15. The company reaffirmed its commitment to supporting India’s startup ecosystem with support in AI Infrastructure, Models, Datasets and Programs.

Google also announced new additions to its Gemma open model family, designed to help startups build population-scale and production-ready AI applications.

• MedGemma 1.5 addresses the growing demand for advanced healthcare AI.
• FunctionGemma, a lightweight model optimised for function calling, supports the next generation of on-device, agent-based systems, allowing AI applications to take secure, reliable action locally.

“Indian startups are building serious deep technology and solving population-scale problems with AI. Google’s focus is to support them across the full stack, from skills and infrastructure to trust and market access. While the path from labs to prototypes has become quite robust over the last several years, the scaling journey continues to be where a lot of startups struggle - The Google Market Access Program is designed to address this challenge faced by founders,” said Preeti Lobana, Country Manager for India, Google.

What is Google Market Access Program

Google Market Access Program is designed to support founders with three outcomes:

• Enterprise readiness through a specialized curriculum on global enterprise selling, complex pricing models, and international buyer psychology.
• A global network through direct, facilitated introductions to relevant members of Google’s global network of CIOs and CXOs.
• Global immersion in partnership with ecosystem leaders like TiE Silicon Valley and Alteus, to establish meaningful in-person relationships in key buyer markets and international tech hubs.

Applications for the Google Market Access Program are now open for eligible startups.

These launches complement Google’s ongoing investments in India’s physical AI infrastructure, including the Global AI Hub in Visakhapatnam, which provides a 1-gigawatt foundation powered by green energy and the company’s advanced AI chips, to ensure Indian startups have access to high-performance compute.