Latest news with #AIFuturesFund
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google's AI Futures Fund Gives Startups VIP Access To DeepMind Models, Backing From Sundar Pichai, And Cloud Credits Worth Millions
Google is launching a major AI initiative that could shape the next generation of artificial intelligence startups. The AI Futures Fund promises direct investment, access to Google's Gemini AI models, and deep technical mentorship for founders pushing the edge of innovation. In a blog post published Monday, Google outlined its intent to work closely with ambitious early-stage companies. The fund will offer hands-on support from Google's research and engineering teams, alongside go-to-market specialists and cloud credits to scale AI development. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. The AI Futures Fund will focus on helping founders build transformative products powered by Gemini, Google's flagship AI model suite. According to AI Futures Fund's application page, startups will be granted early access to the models and receive technical guidance directly from Google's in-house experts. In addition to access and expertise, Google is sweetening the deal with cloud credits. These can be used to build, deploy, and scale high-performance AI systems on Google Cloud, according to the startup's website. With many generative AI models requiring expensive infrastructure to train and operate, these credits give early-stage companies a head start. According to SiliconANGLE, Google aims to deepen its exposure to emerging AI startups and technologies through the AI Futures Fund, giving the company early insight into innovation while strengthening its position in a competitive field already shaped by rivals like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and OpenAI. The fund will complement Google's previous $3 billion in combined investments in generative AI company Anthropic, where it holds a significant ownership stake and cloud partnership, CNBC reports. This tie-in positions Google to shape the trajectory of multiple leading-edge players simultaneously. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — The AI Futures Fund is only the latest in a series of moves by Google to position itself as a key player in AI ecosystem growth. The company announced in March 2024 a $20 million nonprofit accelerator through focused on generative AI, followed by an introduction in September of a $120 million Global AI Opportunity fund. The giant also launched the Google for Startups Founders Funds in 2020. According to the company's website, the program has provided over $58 million in equity-free cash awards and support to more than 600 founders from diverse backgrounds since its inception. The program expanded its focus to include AI startups in the U.S., with plans to extend support to international founders shortly, according to a blog post. This expansion aims to empower diverse entrepreneurs leveraging AI technology to solve real-world problems and drive innovation. This broader commitment to inclusion in AI development has been echoed at the highest levels of the company. During his keynote at the United Nations' Summit of the Future in September, Google CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized Google's mission to ensure broad, equitable access to AI. "Just as the internet and mobile devices expanded opportunities for people around the world, now AI is poised to accelerate progress at unprecedented scale," Pichai said, according to a blog post from its core, the AI Futures Fund aims to surface the most daring AI ideas and accelerate their journey from concept to product. According to the application page, Google wants to "enable groundbreaking 0-to-1 products and features" by working closely with founders across all stages of growth. Applications for the fund are now open, and the founders selected will enter Google's ecosystem with a toolkit that includes capital, exclusive model access, technical guidance, and go-to-market alignment, as detailed on the company's website. As investors search for the next wave of AI breakthroughs, and startups look for the resources to stay ahead, the AI Futures Fund could prove to be one of the most strategically important moves in Google's recent history. Read Next:Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report MICROSOFT (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Google's AI Futures Fund Gives Startups VIP Access To DeepMind Models, Backing From Sundar Pichai, And Cloud Credits Worth Millions originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Business Mayor
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Startups Weekly: A brighter outlook, but don't get carried away
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can't miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here . Startup news this week was fairly routine — in a good way: Aside from a minor kerfuffle between Y Combinator and Google, there was no headline-grabbing drama. Just steady progress and business as usual. Image Credits:Chime With IPO plans, acquisitions, and new launches, this week offers genuine reasons for optimism and bullishness. But don't get carried away, either: We're not ready for Theranos 2.0. Interesting filing: Digital consumer bank Chime publicly filed for an IPO this week. Among other numbers, the paperwork revealed it paid around $33 million to the Dallas Mavericks as part of its marketing efforts. Neon lights: Databricks is planning to spend around $1 billion to acquire Neon, a startup building an open source alternative to AWS Aurora Postgres, with hopes that their combined offerings will let customers more efficiently deploy AI agents (whatever those are). Catching the worm: Savings and investment startup Acorns acquired EarlyBird, an investment gifting platform for families, for an undisclosed amount. EarlyBird will shut down, and its co-founders will help build out Acorns Early, the startup's smart money app for kids. Bridging gaps: AutoUnify, the latest startup coming out of Porsche's partnership with venture studio hopes to become the Plaid of automotive retail with an API that bridges the communication gap between dealerships and service shops on one side and manufacturers and software vendors on the other. Friend or foe: Google launched its AI Futures Fund, a new initiative seeking to invest in AI startups that use DeepMind's tools. Also this week, Y Combinator released a brief accusing Google of being a 'monopolist' that has 'stunted' the U.S. startup ecosystem. Dual use: British startup Vertical Aerospace is working on a hybrid-electric eVTOL aircraft that would capitalize on its position as the only European player in the space, among rising demand for home-grown defense solutions. Are you kidding? Elizabeth Holmes' partner, Billy Evans, is reportedly trying to raise $50 million in funding for a new blood-testing startup with a pitch that resembles Theranos'. Image Credits:Bestow AI was once again a recurring theme in the pitches from startups that announced rounds this week, but these companies focus on a wide range of sectors and problems. Plus, there's fresh funding for fintech and for New York-based startups. Bestowed: Insurtech startup Bestow raised a $120 million Series D, including $75 million in primary investments, to launch new products and underwriting capabilities. AMD-powered: Las Vegas-based TensorWave raised a $100 million funding round co-led by Magnetar and AMD Ventures for its data center infrastructure, which primarily relies on AMD hardware. One step ahead: Sprinter Health, a company offering at-home preventative healthcare services such as blood draws, raised a $55 million Series B round led by General Catalyst. Pan-African: Egyptian startup Nawy, Africa's largest proptech platform, secured a $52 million Series A led by Partech Africa and $23 million in debt financing to support its MENA expansion. Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are its next markets. Read More Reverse flipping – medium rare or well done? - Breakfast club: Fast-growing AI note-taking platform Granola raised a $43 million Series B at a $250 million valuation and launched a collaboration feature for teams. Fusion in a bottle: University of Wisconsin spinoff Realta Fusion obtained $36 million in fresh funding, which it plans to use to finalize the design of its Anvil prototype reactor. Talking babies: Hedra, a company helping artists produce podcasts featuring AI-generated talking babies, locked in $32 million from a16z. Fashionable: Doji, a startup hoping to make virtual apparel try-ons both fun and social, secured a $14 million seed round led by Thrive Capital it will use to improve its AI avatars. Bigger apple: New York-focused VC firm Work-Bench raised $160 million for its fourth fund, which will support seed-stage founders building enterprise software. Deeper: Mercury co-founder and CEO Immad Akhund launched a $26 million fund to back early-stage startups more meaningfully than as an angel investor. The fintech company was last valued at $3.5 billion in a March funding round. Image Credits:Eric Slesinger CIA officer turned investor Eric Slesinger may be the only American VC exclusively investing in European defense tech. In a recent episode of the StrictlyVC Download podcast, he told TechCrunch about the arguably prescient move that led him to found 201 Ventures.
Int'l Business Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Google Launches 'AI Futures Fund' To Invest In Promising AI Startups
Google launched the AI Futures Fund to invest in and support startups working on artificial intelligence to help startups at different stages grow faster by giving them early access to advanced tools and expert support. Selected Startups to Receive Funding, AI Tools, and Expert Support from Google Through this fund, selected startups will receive direct investment from Google, early access to its AI models, and guidance from Google's team of researchers, engineers, and business experts. They will also get credits to use services on Google Cloud. "Startups get hands-on support from researchers, engineers, product managers, designers and go-to-market specialists from Google DeepMind and Google Labs," according to a blog post on Google. The announcement of the fund comes as Google tries to get more exposure to the latest AI companies and trends as well as stay on top of competition as Amazon and Microsoft are backing generative AI startups with hefty investments and developing their own technologies, CNBC reported. In addition, AI startups are looking for alternate funding as the initial public offering market remains mostly dry amid economic woes. Gain Early Access to AI Models, Cloud Support, and Investment Opportunities Google also noted that the program will provide "Cloud credits and dedicated technical support" from its "cloud experts to help build, train and scale AI-powered products." Startups chosen for the program will get early access to some of Google DeepMind's most advanced AI models, such as Gemini for general AI tasks, Imagen for creating images, and Veo for generating videos. They may also receive direct investment from Google to help them grow and expand their AI projects. Early Collaborations Highlight Real-World Impact of AI Futures Fund In recent months, the AI Futures Fund has been working with a select group of startups from different industries, including Toonsutra, a digital comic and webtoon app from India, which is using Gemini's AI translation tools to make comics available in multiple Indian languages. Viggle, a platform for creating AI-powered memes, is using Gemini, Imagen, and Veo to explore new ways of making videos. Rooms, a platform where users create and share interactive 3D spaces, is working with Google to build more advanced content using Gemini. These early partnerships show how access to AI tools and expert support can help startups move faster and build innovative products. The AI Futures Fund is open to startups based in any location where Google's Gemini AI is available. Google is looking for innovative companies that are ready to shape the future of AI. Interested startups are encouraged to apply here.
CNBC
12-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Google launches AI startup fund offering access to new models and tools
Google will begin a new fund aimed at investing in artificial intelligence startups, the company announced Monday. Through a fund it calls the "AI Futures Fund," eligible startups will get Google investment, early access to AI models, and hands-on support from Google researchers, engineers and go-to-market specialists, the company said in a blog post on Monday. It will also get credits to use on Google Cloud. "Select startups get the opportunity to seek direct investment from Google to fuel growth and scale AI development," the blog post states. The fund comes as the company tries to get more exposure to the latest AI companies and trends. It also comes as hot AI startups seek alternate funding as the IPO market remains mostly dry amid economic woes. Amazon and Microsoft, OpenAI's principal investor, are backing generative AI startups with hefty investments as well as developing their own technologies. Earlier this year, Google invested more than $1 billion in generative AI startup Anthropic, which builds on Google's past investments of $2 billion in Anthropic and 10% ownership stake in the startup, as well as a large cloud contract between the two companies. The fund will support founders with Gemini models, according to the application page. "We work closely with ambitious startups across all stages to quickly enable groundbreaking 0-to-1 products and features, providing early access to Google's advanced AI models, expertise, and potential funding to bring audacious AI ideas to life," the fund's mission reads.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google launches new initiative to back startups building AI
On Monday, Google announced the launch of its AI Futures Fund, a new initiative that seeks to invest in startups that are building with the latest AI tools from Google DeepMind, the company's AI R&D lab. The fund will back startups from seed to late stage and will offer varying degrees of support, including allowing founders to have early access to Google AI models from DeepMind, the ability to work with Google experts from DeepMind and Google Labs, and Google Cloud credits. Some startups will also have the opportunity to receive direct investment from Google. AI Futures Fund already has some case studies. Startups such as the meme-making platform Viggle and the webtoon app Toonsutra participated in the program. Startups can apply here starting May 12. Google has been making big commitments over the past few months to support the next generation of AI talent and scientific breakthroughs. Last November, the company's charitable wing, announced a $20 million cash commitment to researchers and scientists working in AI. Before that, in September, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the company was creating a $120 million Global AI Opportunity fund to help bring AI education and training to more places across the world. also launched a $20 million generative AI accelerator program to cut checks to nonprofits developing AI tech. Google also has its Google for Startups Founders Funds, which supports founders from an array of industries and backgrounds building companies, including AI companies. A spokesperson told TechCrunch in February that this year, the fund would start investing in AI-focused startups in the U.S., with more information to come at a later date. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Sign in to access your portfolio
