Google Cloud AI Startup Program

The Google Cloud AI Startup Program is designed for early-stage and venture-backed AI companies looking to develop and scale products with Google's foundation models and cloud infrastructure. Qualified AI-first startups can access up to $350,000 in total credits, technical support, and developer community resources over a two-year period.

Credit Structure

• Year 1: 100% coverage up to $250,000 in Google Cloud credits for AI-first startups (up to$100,000 for standard scale-tier startups).
• Year 2: 20% coverage up to an additional $100,000 in Google Cloud credits.

Eligible Models & Services

• Credits apply toward core Google Cloud services and Google DeepMind models, including Gemini (e.g., Gemini 3) and Gemma open models.
• Third-party models hosted on Google Cloud Marketplace are billed directly and are not covered by program credits.

Program Benefits

• Cloud & Model Credits: Offset computing, storage, and API invocation costs for production workloads.
• Direct Access to AI Experts: Exclusive webinars and live Q&As with Google Cloud AI engineers, developer advocates, and product managers.
• Product Roadmaps: Early insights into Google Cloud AI releases, agentic tools, and infrastructure updates.

Eligibility Requirements

• Product Focus: Startups that use or plan to use Gemini or the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform as a foundation of their primary product offering.
• Funding Stage: Raised Pre-Seed or Seed rounds within the last 5 years, or Series A funding within the last 12 months (institutional VC, equity, SAFE, verifiable token raises, or blockchain foundation grants).
• Company Age: Founded within the last 5 years.
• Credit History: Must not have previously received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits.
• Exclusions: Dev shops, agencies, consultancies, educational institutions, nonprofits, personal blogs, and crypto-mining entities are not eligible.