AI First
Middle East, North Africa, Turkey - Hybrid
10 weeks
Seed to Series A
A 10-week equity-free accelerator program for Seed to Series A startups based in MENA and Turkey. The accelerator aims to connect the best of Google's products and people to empower startups to scale their business, towards success in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and technology.
Middle East, North Africa, Turkey - Hybrid
10 weeks
Seed to Series A
About the program
About the program
A global series of programs
Each cohort of 10-15 startups comes together to tackle technical challenges that can help grow their businesses through a mix of remote and in-person, 1-to-1, group learning sessions, and sprint projects.
Dedicated expert help
Founders outline the top technical challenges for their startup, and are paired with experts from Google and the industry to solve those challenges and grow their business.
Specialist deep dives
Accelerators include deep dives and workshops focused on product design, customer acquisition, and leadership development for founders.
Google for Startups Cloud program
Eligible participants receive up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits, dedicated support from startup experts, technical training and access to key industry events. Find out more.
Additionally, participants are eligible to receive 30 days of free Cloud TPU access through the TPU Research Cloud program to accelerate their open-source machine learning research. Find out more.
Key benefits
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Equity-free support
Equity-free support: For duration of program.
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Mentoring
Dedicated mentoring from Google teams.
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Training
Exclusive invitations to technical bootcamps hosted by Google where offered.
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Access to experts
Access to Google's network of industry experts.
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Google product credits
Eligible startups receive product credits.
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Early access
Access to new Google products and tools as relevant.
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Strategic support
Support on company and product strategy.
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Technical project partnership
Work hand in hand with experts from Google on your biggest tech challenges.
Entry Criteria
Entry Criteria
- Startups demonstrating traction, ideally between Seed and Series A stage
- Building a scalable product or service with a significant total addressable market and defensible growth model
- Deeply technical, preferably leveraging technologies like machine learning and AI
- Commitment from CTO and/or technical roles to participate and engage in required program sessions
- We are committed to building accelerator classes with great startups, and encourage applications from all qualified startups
Key dates
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October, 2024
Program Kick-off
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December, 2024
Graduation
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January, 2025
Demo Day
Meet the Alumni
Frequently asked questions
The Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First program is completely free for all participating startups, and Google does not take any equity. Please note that we do require all founders (CEO & CTO) and appropriate team members to be available to join all elements of the program.
Through a combination of 1-to-1 and 1-to-many learning sessions, startups will receive technical support and mentoring from experienced engineers and business experts from Google and the wider ecosystem throughout the program. This support will be specifically tailored to the needs of the startups' businesses. Along with being paired with specialized Startup Success Managers (SSM) from Google, participants will also receive further training on how to use our best practices, tools, and personnel. At the end of the program, the cohort will present their achievements in a Demo Day in front of Google teams, mentors, investors, partners and key stakeholders from the EMEA startup ecosystem. After the program ends, startups will continue to receive support via the Google for Startups Accelerator Alumni program and network.
The program runs in a hybrid format for MENA-T. The events will take place in the UAE and KSA, with an in-person kick-off in October 2024, followed by virtual training bootcamps, 1:1 mentoring, and experiences, and an in-person demo day and graduation in January 2025.
Selected startups will be eligible for the Google for Startups Cloud Program, with your first year of Google Cloud and Firebase usage covered with credits up to 350k$ (subject to terms and conditions).
Startups must meet specific criteria to be eligible for Google product credit offerings. To learn more about the Google Cloud credit eligibility requirements, please visit the Google Cloud startup page.