Google for Startups Cloud Program - AI Track ($350,000)
Source: https://cloud.google.com/startup/ai
Description
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+ 1 AI-first startups building on Vertex AI or Gemini can receive up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits over 2 years through the AI Track of the Google for Startups Cloud Program. Year 1 covers 100% of eligible Google Cloud usage up to $250,000. Year 2 covers 20% of usage up to an additional $100,000. On top of the cloud credits, you get $12,000 in Enhanced Support credits, $10,000 in partner model credits (Anthropic, Fireworks AI, and others via Vertex AI Model Garden), a dedicated Startup Success Manager, and access to DeepMind mentorship. You must have equity funding from seed to Series A and demonstrate that Vertex AI or Gemini is core to your product.
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+ 7 1. Create a Google Cloud account at console.cloud.google.com if you don't have one
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+ 8 2. Set up a Cloud Billing Account in the Google Cloud Console — navigate to Billing and create a new billing account. Note your 18-character billing account ID (format: ABC123-DEF456-GHI789)
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+ 9 3. Wait 48 hours after creating your billing account before applying — Google needs time to sync the ID to their systems
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+ 10 4. Prepare your application materials:
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+ 11 • Your 18-character Google Cloud billing account ID
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+ 12 • A business email that matches your startup's public website domain (e.g., yourname@yourstartup.com, not a Gmail address)
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+ 13 • Links to publicly available sources documenting your equity funding (e.g., Crunchbase profile, press releases, investor announcements)
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+ 14 • If you're in stealth mode, coordinate with your investor to verify your funding directly
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+ 15 5. Go to cloud.google.com/startup/apply and complete the application form
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+ 16 6. Select the AI Track and describe how Vertex AI or Gemini is central to your product
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+ 17 7. Submit and wait — expect a response within 3-5 business days. New billing accounts may take 7-10 additional days. Stealth-mode startups may wait up to 2 weeks for funding verification
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+ 18 8. If approved, credits are deposited immediately into your billing account
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+ 19
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+ 20 Important:
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+ 21 • Your company website domain must match your email domain and the email domain on your billing account
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+ 22 • Google auto-populates your billing ID based on the email you provide — double-check it matches the account you want credits deposited into
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+ 23 • You cannot have previously received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits
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+ 24 • One enrollment per startup — if denied, Google's operations team will explain why and may help you requalify
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+ 30 PeriodCoverageMaximum
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+ 31 Year 1100% of eligible Google Cloud usage$250,000
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+ 32 Year 220% of eligible Google Cloud usage$100,000
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+ 33 Enhanced SupportGoogle Cloud Enhanced Support$12,000 (1 year)
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+ 34 Partner ModelsVertex AI Model Garden partner LLMs$10,000
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+ 35 Total Up to $372,000
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+ 36
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+ 37 The Year 1 amount includes the standard Scale Tier credits ($100,000) plus an additional $150,000 for AI Tier enrollment. Year 2 is a 20% reimbursement model — you pay 80% and credits cover the remaining 20%, up to $100,000.
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+ 43 Who qualifies:
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+ 44 • AI-first startups using or planning to use Vertex AI or Gemini as a foundation of their primary product
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+ 45 • Received equity funding from seed to Series A (if Series A, must have been raised within the last 12 months)
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+ 46 • Company must be under 10 years old
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+ 47 • Must not have previously received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits
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+ 48
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+ 49 Accepted funding types:
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+ 50 • Equity investments from institutional investors and venture capital firms
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+ 51 • Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) agreements and convertible notes
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+ 52 • Verifiable token raises and blockchain foundation grants (Web3 community)
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+ 53
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+ 54 Not accepted for Scale/AI tier (evaluated for Start tier instead):
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+ 55 • Private equity funding
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+ 56 • Government innovation grants
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+ 57 • Prize funding
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+ 58 • Crowdfunding
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+ 59 • Angel investors only (without institutional backing)
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+ 60 • Friends and family funding
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+ 61
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+ 62 Excluded organizations:
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+ 63 • Companies that have IPO'd or been acquired
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+ 64 • Educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits
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+ 65 • Personal blogs, dev shops, consultancies, agencies
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+ 66 • Cryptocurrency mining companies
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+ 67 • Companies distributing tokens contrary to regulatory guidance
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+ 73 Credits CAN be used for:
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+ 74 • Google Cloud Platform services (Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run, BigQuery, etc.)
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+ 75 • Firebase services
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+ 76 • Vertex AI (including Gemini model API calls)
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+ 77 • Select Google Cloud offerings like Looker
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+ 78
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+ 79 Credits CANNOT be used for:
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+ 80 • Third-party services on Google Cloud Marketplace
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+ 81 • Google Workspace (separate benefit — 12 months of Business Plus free for new signups)
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+ 82 • Google Maps Platform (separate benefit — $600/month for 12 months for new signups)
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+ 83 • Any non-Google Cloud services
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+ 84
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+ 85 Credits are non-cash, non-transferable, and apply only to eligible service SKUs. Usage beyond credit coverage bills at standard rates.
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+ 91 AI Tier startups receive $10,000 in credits for partner LLM models accessible through Vertex AI Model Garden. This is separate from the main cloud credits and covers:
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+ 92
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+ 93 PartnerBenefit
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+ 94 Anthropic (Claude)Up to $10,000 in model credits via Model Garden
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+ 95 Fireworks AI$10,000 in serverless inference credits (hundreds of open-source models)
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+ 96 ElevenLabs33 million free speech synthesis credits
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+ 97 MongoDB AtlasStartup database credits
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+ 98 CockroachDBDistributed SQL support
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+ 99 GitLab Ultimate1 full year free
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+ 100 Contextual AI$1,500 in credits
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+ 101
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+ 102 To activate partner model credits, contact your Google Cloud Account Executive or Startup Success Manager after enrollment.
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+ 103
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+ 105
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+ 108 • Startup Success Manager — dedicated Google Cloud contact for technical and business guidance
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+ 109 • DeepMind mentorship — research partnership opportunities with teams building Gemini and other frontier models
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+ 110 • $500 in Google Cloud Skills Boost training credits (Scale tier gets $200)
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+ 111 • Frontier model access — early testing of Gemini, Veo, and experimental features
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+ 112 • AI Startup School — Google-hosted events for AI founders
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+ 113 • Google Cloud Next — priority access to Google's annual conference
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+ 114 • AI/ML architecture resources and generative AI training courses
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+ 119
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+ 120 TierCreditsTargetFunding Required
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+ 121 Start$2,000 (1 year)Pre-funded startupsNone
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+ 122 ScaleUp to $200,000 (2 years)Funded startupsSeed to Series A
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+ 123 Scale AIUp to $350,000 (2 years)AI-first startupsSeed to Series A
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+ 124 Web3SpecializedBlockchain startupsVaries
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+ 125
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+ 126 If you don't qualify for the AI Track, you may still qualify for the Scale tier ($200,000) or the Start tier ($2,000).
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+ 129
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+ 131
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+ 132 • Get a VC or accelerator referral — having a partner recommend you significantly increases approval odds, especially for the AI Track
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+ 133 • Prepare a one-pager covering your problem, solution, metrics, forecasted cloud spend, and reference architecture on Google Cloud
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+ 134 • Emphasize Vertex AI / Gemini usage — clearly explain how Google's AI services are core to your product, not just peripheral
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+ 135 • Match your domains — your email, company website, and billing account must use the same domain
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+ 136 • Apply early in your funding journey — the pre-seed to Series A window is the sweet spot
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+ 137 • Don't wait to apply — the program accepts rolling applications year-round, no batch deadlines
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+ 138 • Set budget alerts after approval — Google Cloud has no automatic spending caps, and usage beyond your credits bills at standard rates
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+ 144 • After the 2-year program period, all credits expire and you transition to standard pay-as-you-go billing
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+ 145 • Always-free tier services (Cloud Vision, Speech-to-Text, Natural Language, etc.) continue indefinitely within their monthly limits
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+ 146 • Set up billing alerts well before expiration to avoid surprise charges
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+ 147 • You can continue using all Google Cloud services at standard pricing
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+ 150
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+ 151 Sources:
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+ 152 • Google for Startups Cloud Program - AI Track
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+ 153 • Google for Startups Cloud Program - Apply
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+ 154 • Program Eligibility and Benefits
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+ 155 • Program FAQs
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+ 156 • Startup Perks
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+ 157 • Google for Startups - Cloud
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+ 158 • 2026 Ultimate Guide to Google for Startups (DEV Community)
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+ 159 • How to Get Up to $350,000 in Cloud Credits (Mobitouch)
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