Artificial intelligence is a priority: Google supports startups, investors invest
16 May 2025 09:42
Google has announced the creation of the AI Futures Fund, a new initiative aimed at investing in startups that use the latest artificial intelligence tools from Google DeepMind, the company’s artificial intelligence research and development laboratory. This was reported by TechCrunch, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs.
The fund will support startups from early to late stages and offer different levels of support. Startup founders, for example, will get early access to Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence models, have the opportunity to collaborate with Google experts from DeepMind and Google Labs, and will be provided with Google Cloud loans. Some startups will also have the opportunity to receive direct investment from Google.
The application process started on May 12. You can apply here.
Google has supported artificial intelligence developers before
Last November, Google.org, the company’s charity arm, announced the allocation of $20 million in cash to researchers and scientists working in the field of artificial intelligence.
Prior to that, in September, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the company’s creation of a $120 million Global AI Opportunity Fund to help AI education and training spread around the world.
Google.org has also launched a $20 million generative AI accelerator program to reduce the costs of nonprofit organizations developing AI technologies.
Google has its own founders’ fund, Google for Startups, which supports developers from different industries and with different backgrounds who create companies, including AI companies.
AI development is supported by large investments
In the first quarter of 2025, global venture capital investments reached USD 126.3 billion, the highest figure in the last 11 quarters. This is stated in the Venture Pulse report by KPMG.
The main driver of growth was artificial intelligence, in particular, the historic funding of USD 40 billion for OpenAI.
However, this figure hides another dynamic: the number of deals globally decreased to 7,551, the lowest level in recent years. This indicates investor caution in most sectors except AI.
The record-breaking $40 billion funding for OpenAI did not just raise the bar for venture capital investments, but, as noted in KPMG’s Venture Pulse report, it became a marker of a global shift: artificial intelligence is moving from the “innovation” phase to the “infrastructure” phase, forming a new foundation for the tech economy of the next decade.
