The landscape of artificial intelligence startups is currently dominated by numerous ventures that are essentially superficial “wrappers” built upon existing AI models. This trend has led to investor skepticism, with many wary of funding companies that could easily become redundant as core AI model makers integrate more features. This concern was starkly evident during the review process for over 4,000 applications for the joint AI accelerator program in India, run by Google and venture firm Accel. “Wrapper” ideas constituted the majority of applications, yet none were selected for the latest cohort, as noted by Accel partner Prayank Swaroop.

Launched in November, the AI-focused Atoms program by Google and Accel is designed to support early-stage startups in India that are developing AI products. The five startups chosen for the latest cohort are set to receive significant backing, including up to $2 million in funding from Accel and Google’s AI Futures Fund, along with up to $350,000 in cloud and AI compute credits from Google.

A deep dive into the application pool revealed that approximately 70% of the rejected applications were