# Dodo Payments Joins the Google for Startups Accelerator: India 2026 Cohort

> Dodo Payments is one of 20 AI-first startups selected for the Google for Startups Accelerator: India 2026 cohort, chosen from ~2,500 applications.
- **Author**: Rishabh Goel
- **Published**: 2026-07-08
- **Category**: Press release
- **URL**: https://dodopayments.com/blogs/dodo-payments-google-for-startups-accelerator-india-2026

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We're thrilled to share that [Dodo Payments](https://dodopayments.com/) has been selected for the **[Google for Startups Accelerator: India](https://g.co/accelerator/india) 2026 cohort** -- a group of just 20 AI-first startups chosen from a highly competitive pool of roughly 2,500 applications.

This year's cohort marks the **10th anniversary of Google's Accelerator programs**, and we're proud to be one of the finance-focused companies joining founders who are solving high-impact challenges across climate, healthcare, developer workflows, and finance.

> Payments should always go through, irrespective of the location of the customer or the merchant. Being part of the Google for Startups Accelerator gives us the technical depth and mentorship to bring that vision to more AI-first and SaaS companies, faster.
>
> \- Rishabh Goel, Co-Founder & CEO at Dodo Payments

## Why Dodo Payments was selected

In Google's words, Dodo Payments "offers an all-in-one **Merchant of Record platform purpose-built for AI-first and SaaS companies.**"

That focus is exactly why this cohort matters to us. As the startup ecosystem shifts from language models to sophisticated agentic and multimodal systems, the companies building these products need billing infrastructure that keeps up:

- **Global from day one** - accept payments across 220+ countries and regions without setting up local entities.
- **Merchant of Record model** -- we handle sales tax, VAT, and GST compliance so founders don't have to.
- **Usage-based and subscription billing** -- flexible pricing that scales with how AI products actually charge, from per-token to per-seat.
- **Purpose-built for AI-first teams** -- the same audience Google is backing across the 2026 cohort.

## What the accelerator offers

Through the program, Google provides selected startups with essential support, including access to the **Google AI stack**, alongside critical **technical and go-to-market mentorship** to help them move from foundational hurdles into scaled deployment.

The journey kicked off with a high-energy, in-person bootcamp at Google's Bengaluru campus. Over the next three months, we'll work closely with Google's teams to refine our product, optimize our architecture, and prepare for scaled deployment.

## The 2026 cohort

Dodo Payments joins 19 other AI-first startups spanning legal, healthcare, climate, developer tooling, manufacturing, media, voice AI, cybersecurity, and finance. Selected from ~2,500 applications, the cohort reflects the deepening technical maturity of India's startup ecosystem -- and we're honored to build alongside them.

You can read Google's full announcement of the 2026 cohort on the Google India blog.

## What's next

This recognition is a milestone, not a destination. Our mission remains the same: make global payments effortless for the next generation of AI-first and SaaS companies. Being part of the Google for Startups Accelerator: India 2026 cohort helps us get there faster -- with better infrastructure, sharper go-to-market, and the support of one of the world's leading technology partners.

If you're building an AI-first or SaaS product and want payments and compliance handled end to end, [get started with Dodo Payments](https://dodopayments.com/) today.
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