Google has selected four Indian startups for the first edition of its AI-focused climate accelerator in the Asia Pacific region, bringing them into a 16-member cohort working on environmental challenges with artificial intelligence.
Terrastack, Varaha Climate, Farmers for Forests and Climitra Carbon are among the startups chosen for the Google DeepMind Accelerator: AI for the Planet (APAC). The three-month programme is aimed at helping participating startups, nonprofits and research teams develop and expand technology-based solutions for climate and environmental problems.
The programme began this week with a hands-on bootcamp in Singapore. Participants will get access to Google AI technology, technical guidance and mentorship as they work on their respective solutions, according to a Google blog post published on September 7 by APAC regional sustainability head Spencer Low and APAC developer ecosystems head Sami Kizibash.
Four Startups Join Programme
The selected Indian startups work across different areas, including land intelligence, regenerative agriculture, forest restoration and carbon removal. Their inclusion reflects the growing use of AI and geospatial technology in sectors where climate and environmental data play an important role.
Google said participants will be able to work with frontier AI models and tools, including AnthroKrishi, ForestCast, AlphaEarth Foundations, SpeciesNet and Perch. The programme is designed to provide support based on the technical requirements of participating organisations rather than follow a single solution or industry model.
Terrastack, founded in 2024 by Aaryan Dangi and Milind Sohoni, is based in Mumbai and works on rural land intelligence. Its platform combines satellite imagery, mapping tools and digital land records to organise information on land boundaries and ownership.
Startups Target Climate Problems
Varaha Climate, founded in 2022 by Madhur Jain, Ankita Garg and Vishal Kuchanur, operates carbon dioxide removal projects across India and several other countries. The Delhi NCR-based startup works with smallholder farmers on regenerative agriculture and agroforestry and generates carbon credits from these projects.
Farmers for Forests, or F4F, was founded in 2019 by Krutika Ravishankar, Aditya Avinashe and Arti Dhar. Headquartered in Pune, it uses a payment-for-ecosystem-services model to encourage farmers and local communities to restore degraded land and create biodiverse forests.
Its work covers agroforestry, forest protection and restoration, urban biodiversity and climate and ecology education. It also runs initiatives related to human-elephant conflict prevention, linking environmental restoration with local community participation.
Google Expands Climate Push
Climitra Carbon, founded in 2025 by Shubhankar Mihir Seth, Shaurya Sharma and Aryaman Mihir Seth, is based in Delhi NCR. The startup converts waste biomass into bio-coal and biochar, with its bio-coal designed as a replacement for fossil coal in steelmaking.
The selection comes as Google expands several climate-related initiatives in India. The technology major is scaling its AI-powered Solar API across 300 million Indian rooftops, with the aim of automating roof surveys and solar layout work.
Google has also entered a four-year agreement with climate tech startup Mitti Labs to purchase one million carbon credits through 2030. The financial terms were not disclosed. The credits are expected to come from rice farming projects in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, where Mitti Labs currently works across more than one lakh hectares.
Google Supports Indian Startups
Google has backed and worked with a growing group of Indian startups through different programmes, partnerships and technology initiatives. These efforts span areas such as artificial intelligence, climate technology, agriculture, digital public infrastructure and developer-focused products.
The latest accelerator is different from a direct funding round. Its focus is on technical support, access to Google AI tools and expert guidance rather than an announced investment in the four selected Indian startups. The programme could nevertheless give the participating companies access to technology and networks that may help them develop their products further.
Alongside its startup programmes, Google is also increasing its involvement in India climate projects. It has signed a 150 MW long-term solar power agreement with ReNew Power in Rajasthan to address supply chain emissions, taking its announced Scope 3 solar projects in the country to 300 MW.
For the four Indian startups entering the new APAC accelerator, the next three months will focus on applying AI to specific environmental problems. Their progress will also show how newer climate and sustainability ventures can use advanced AI tools in areas such as agriculture, forests, land data and carbon removal.
