Accenture announced expanded support for high-potential AI startups with a new engagement initiative, established through Accenture Ventures with support from NVIDIA Inception. This collaboration is designed to accelerate startup growth and innovation by closing a common gap many early-stage companies face-moving from breakthrough ideas to scalable enterprise solutions.

The initiative will provide startups with market intelligence, technical workshops, enterprise workflow knowledge and exposure to real-world business environments. Startups will gain access to Accenture's deep industry experience and enterprise relationships, as well as emerging technology resources across Accenture Innovation's global network. Combined with NVIDIA's advanced technical capabilities and global developer ecosystem, this initiative will provide a powerful launchpad for the next generation of AI innovators.

"AI is reshaping industries at a breakneck pace, but many startups struggle to bridge the gap between innovation and enterprise-ready solutions," said Tom Lounibos, global lead for Accenture Ventures. "Through this collaboration, we're creating an environment where these companies can turn fresh ideas into reality-faster, smarter and with the right strategic backing."

Accenture Ventures and NVIDIA Inception will bring together world-class technical, commercial, and strategic support, and access to NVIDIA's extensive venture capital network. This will help AI startups rapidly adapt and refine solutions to achieve enterprise readiness and deliver meaningful impact in the market.

"The startup ecosystem drives technological innovation across all sectors, from customer experience to healthcare," said Howard Wright, vice president of startup ecosystem at NVIDIA. "NVIDIA Inception working together with Accenture Ventures will help startups accelerate their impact on every industry powered by AI."

Initial focus on marketing and customer experience

The first phase of this initiative will focus on startups in the areas of marketing, sales, and customer service, where AI is reinventing how businesses connect with customers through data-driven insights, personalized content, and immersive experiences. Startups will be able to tap into marketing and customer domain expertise from Accenture Song's tech-powered creative group.

Today's announcement highlights Accenture's ongoing investment in data and AI capabilities to help clients grow their business and sustain relevance with customers. It expands on the Accenture NVIDIA Business Group, launched last year to help clients rapidly scale AI adoption, including agentic AI systems, to drive new levels of productivity and growth. For instance, Accenture's AI Refinery, built with NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, help companies turn raw AI technology into useful business solutions.