Google Pushes Forward in Web3 With Cloud Startup Program

Aptos, Celos, Flow, HBAR Foundation, NEAR and Solana Foundations are all offering grants totaling up to $1 million for startups

by Katherine Ross /

April 25, 2023 02:11 pm

DANIEL CONSTANTE/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

Google Cloud announced on Tuesday that it’s rolling out benefits to allow Web3 startups to apply for its Startups Cloud Program.

The benefits include grants from foundation partners, which include Aptos, Celo, Solana Foundation, HBAR Foundation and Near.

Startups will also have access to Alchemy University while giving them credits worth $10,000 in Alchemy. They’ll also have access to the Polygon Ventures Ecosystem Fund, which gives access to around $3 million in investments.

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There are two tiers through which startups can apply. The starting tier is optimized for projects and startups that have not been funded yet — meaning they’re pre-seed and have been around for less than five years.

The scale tier is designed for seed to Series A startups that have been founded in the last 10 years. Scale gives the startups access to the benefits mentioned above, with Google Cloud credits covered 100% up to $100,000 in year one.

This isn’t Google’s first foray into Web3. Last fall, Google Cloud announced the Blockchain Node Engine, which is a tool that builds and deploys on both blockchain-based applications and platforms.

Ethereum was the first blockchain supported by the engine, but Google Cloud announced that Solana was being included as well last November.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, was a huge investor in blockchain technology throughout 2021 and 2022, according to data from Blockdata. Google’s investing vehicles made 990 investments.

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