Google Cloud — Google for Startups Cloud Program
Three tiers. Start gives $2,000 self-serve. Scale covers 100% of usage up to $100K, then 20% up to another $100K. AI-First adds $150K on top, reaching $350K for AI-core teams.
What you need to qualify
- Start tier: technology startup founded within the last 5 years, no institutional investor, no prior Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial
- Scale tier: equity funding from an institutional investor, pre-seed through Series A (Series A must be within the last 12 months)
- AI-First tier: AI is the core technology of your primary product, Seed to Series A, founded within the last 10 years, no more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits received before
Traps and exclusions
- Program credits cover Google’s own models, Gemini and Gemma. Third-party models are billed directly and are not covered.
Before you submit
- Company domain email, not a personal address
- Live public website that describes a product, not a coming-soon page
- Company profile findable on LinkedIn, X or GitHub
- Incorporation documents and funding evidence to hand
- Confirm the company has not claimed credits from this program before, under any entity
Open official program page Check eligibility
More like this
Other programs in this category
The largest ceiling in the database. A small self-serve tier needs just a live product; six-figure tiers route through Activate Providers — accelerators, incubators, VCs. Credits cover third-party models via Bedrock.
Tiered by funding raised. Tier 3: $10,000, no minimum funding. Tier 2: $100,000 under $5M raised with a partner. Tier 1: $350,000 at $5M+ raised, plus priority support.
Works across Azure, GitHub and other Microsoft platforms. Entry tier is self-serve, no funding needed — a real bootstrapped on-ramp. Top tiers need VC backing through Microsoft's investor network.