Google has announced that more than 100 startups have been selected to participate in its Google for Startups Gemini Startup Forum, a programme designed to help early-stage companies develop AI-powered products and scale their businesses.
Announced on October 6, 2026, the fourth cohort was selected from more than 2,000 applications. Founders from 17 countries will gather at Google's Mountain View headquarters in November for a two-day, in-person summit focused on artificial intelligence innovation, technical problem-solving and business growth.
What Is the Gemini Startup Forum?
The Gemini Startup Forum is a collaboration involving Google for Startups, Google DeepMind and Google Cloud. It connects startup founders with Google's AI specialists and engineering teams to help them overcome technical challenges, refine product strategies and bring AI solutions to market.
Participants will receive opportunities to work on their AI roadmaps, attend sessions led by industry experts, explore demonstrations of Google's latest technologies and network with other founders building AI-driven businesses.
Startups Tackling Challenges Across Multiple Industries
The selected startups are developing AI applications across a wide range of sectors, demonstrating how the technology is being applied beyond general-purpose chatbots.
Their work includes:
Healthcare: Developing AI systems to help diagnose genetic disorders and screen for cancer.
Robotics: Building intelligent control systems for next-generation robotic applications.
Enterprise technology: Creating AI solutions that help businesses improve operations, decision-making and productivity.
Scalable AI products: Developing systems that can adapt to changing requirements and serve growing numbers of users.
The participating companies share a common objective: using AI to create more intelligent, adaptable and scalable solutions for real-world problems.
Google Offers Technical Support and Cloud Credits
Beyond mentorship and networking, Google provides eligible AI startups with resources through its broader Gemini Kit initiative.
These resources include:
Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits for eligible startups.
Hands-on API sprints to help teams build and improve AI applications.
Access to Google AI Studio for experimenting with and developing AI-powered products.
Training materials, technical guidance and learning resources.
These offerings can help startups reduce some initial infrastructure costs, experiment with AI models and accelerate product development. The amount of support available depends on eligibility and programme requirements.
Why the Programme Matters for the AI Startup Ecosystem
Building AI products requires more than access to advanced models. Startups must also address infrastructure costs, technical complexity, product-market fit and the challenge of scaling their solutions.
By connecting founders with AI researchers, engineers and cloud resources, Google aims to help promising companies move from experimentation toward commercially viable products.
The initiative also strengthens Google's relationship with emerging AI businesses that may become future customers of its cloud infrastructure and AI development tools.