Google for Startups Cloud Program: Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud Credits for AI Startups

Short answer: The Google for Startups Cloud Program gives pre-funding startups up to $2,000 in Google Cloud credits and VC-funded startups up to $200,000 over two years, rising to $350,000 for AI-first startups. Applications are open, decisions usually take a few business days, and the credits can be spent on Gemini and Gemma models plus most Google Cloud services, but not on third-party models or Marketplace products.

Tiers and credit amounts

Enhanced Support credits give you one-hour response times for critical issues, according to Google. The Workspace offer applies only if your company domain has not had a paid Google Workspace plan in the 31 days before you apply, up to the day you request the benefit.

Who qualifies for each tier

Start tier

• A technology startup planning to seek venture funding soon, with a working MVP and a clear business model.
• Founded within the last 24 months.
• No Google Cloud credits received beyond the standard free trial.
• Able to show a well-defined product roadmap.

Scale tier

• Raised Pre-Seed or Seed within the last five years, or a Series A within the last 12 months.
• Founded within the last five years.
• Received no more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits so far.
• Funding must be equity from institutional investors or VC firms. SAFEs count. Private equity, government innovation grants, prize money, crowdfunding, angel and friends-and-family money do not qualify for Scale.
• Stealth startups are supported once funding is verified.

AI-first startups

To reach the $350,000 package, you must meet the Scale criteria and be AI-first. Google defines this as using or planning to use Gemini to deploy AI services as a foundation of your primary product, with AI built into the company's structure and strategy "and not only as a productivity/bolt-on layer." Google says it reviews these applications case by case, which explains why two AI startups with similar funding can get different outcomes.

Who is excluded

Google says it cannot accept companies that have IPO'd or been acquired, educational institutions, government entities, nonprofits, personal blogs or content sites, dev shops, consultancies, agencies, crypto mining companies, or companies distributing tokens contrary to regulatory guidance in their jurisdiction.

How to apply, step by step

1. Set up billing first. Create a Google Cloud account if you don't have one. Your 18-character billing account ID is in the Console under Billing > Manage your billing account.
2. Align your domains. The business email on your application must match your startup's public website domain, and the email domain linked to the billing account must match too. If you only have a personal Gmail, create a company mailbox first.
3. Open the application at cloud.google.com/startup/apply. Google auto-fills a billing account ID from the Cloud account linked to your email; if it shows the wrong one, enter the correct ID or the email tied to the right account.
4. Choose your tier and describe your product and roadmap. For AI-first status, explain where Gemini or other Google AI sits in the core product.
5. Prove funding (Scale only). Google asks for links to public sources describing your equity investment, not uploaded pitch decks. In stealth, ask your investor to verify the round.
6. Wait for the decision. Most applicants hear within a few business days. Manual reviews can take 10 days or more.
7. After approval, look for the welcome email, which Google says explains additional AI, Workspace and Maps benefits. Credits appear on the billing account you applied with.

How the two-year credit structure works

The Scale tiers don't simply hand you a lump sum. Year 1 credits cover 100% of eligible usage up to the cap. In Year 2, credits cover only 20% of usage, up to an additional $100,000, so you start paying most of your bill.

Worked example (AI-first): if eligible usage is $15,000 a month in Year 1, credits cover all of it: 12 × $15,000 = $180,000, which is within the $250,000 Year 1 cap. If Year 2 usage is $40,000 a month, credits cover 20% = $8,000 a month and you pay $32,000. Over 12 months that is $96,000 of credits, just under the $100,000 Year 2 limit. Unused Year 1 headroom ($70,000 here) does not carry into Year 2 under the published structure.

Year 2 is where startups get surprised. Plan for your bill to rise to roughly 80% of usage in month 13, and set budget alerts in Cloud Billing before then.

What the credits cover

• Covered: Google Cloud services and select Google Cloud offerings, which Google gives as examples including BigQuery and Gemini. Google's own models, such as Gemini and Gemma, are covered.
• Not covered: third-party models in Model Garden, which Google bills directly, and any third-party service or offering, including those on Google Cloud Marketplace.
• Separate benefits, not credits: Google Workspace, Google Maps Platform and Google Skills each come as their own benefit.

Gemini API billing caveat

If you call Gemini through the Gemini API in Google AI Studio rather than Vertex AI, read Google's billing rules. The Gemini API docs say that on a Prepay billing account you must add funds before promotional Cloud credits can be used, and eligible credits are then consumed before your prepaid balance. The same docs say the $300 Welcome or free-trial credit cannot be used on the Gemini API at all. Our Gemini API pricing page explains the per-token rates, and the Gemini API key guide covers setting up keys and billing.

Getting the most from the credits

• Prototype on free tiers first. The Gemini API free tier and the Google Cloud $300 free trial let you test before you start the clock on program credits. The Start tier only excludes credits received beyond the free trial, so using the trial does not rule you out.
• Watch the $5,000 rule. Scale requires that you haven't already received more than $5,000 in Google Cloud credits, so accepting a large credit offer elsewhere in Google can rule you out.
• Match the model to the job. Credits cover Gemini and Gemma but not partner models in Model Garden, so a pipeline built on a third-party model through Vertex AI will be billed to your card.
• Front-load heavy work into Year 1, such as data migration, fine-tuning experiments and evaluation runs, when credits cover 100% of usage.

How it compares with other cloud programs

Many startups apply to more than one. The programs don't prohibit each other, but each counts its own credits, and Google's Scale tier looks at Google Cloud credits you've already received. For a wider list, see our guide to free AI credits.

Common mistakes

• Mismatched domains. Applying with a Gmail address, or a billing account owned by a different domain, is a blocker Google's FAQ calls out: the website, application email and billing account domains must match.
• Wrong funding type for Scale. Angel-only or grant-funded startups are routed to Start, not Scale.
• Sending decks instead of links. Google asks for public links to funding news or investor verification, not uploaded documents.
• Assuming Model Garden is covered. Third-party models are billed directly.
• Forgetting the Year 2 drop to 20% coverage.