Earlier this month, Google opened applications for Ukrainian startups to benefit from its second support fund. This program is intended to “help Ukraine-based startups maintain and grow their businesses, strengthen their community, and build a foundation for post-war economic recovery.”
Applicants must have a company registered in Ukraine and a “post-MVP stage with proven traction.” Projects “with a social impact mission” will be prioritized, says Google.
The US giant’s $10 million allocation will materialize in the form of up to $100,000 grants, in addition to “mentorship, product support, and up to $350,000 in Cloud credits.”
Launched in March 2022, Google’s first Ukraine Support Fund provided 58 recipients with $5 million worth of non-equity grants. Follow-on funding amounted to $15.8 million. Among the supported startups were Skyworker and Mindly, which “use artificial intelligence to create economic opportunities,” as well as Zeely, “whose founders were included in the Forbes Europe 30 Under 30&list,” stated Agnieszka Hrynievych-Bienek, Senior Director at Google for Startups, earlier this year.
Google launched several other initiatives to support Ukraine — from helping refugees to developing air alert systems, as reported by Ukraine Digital News.
In 2022, Google received the Ukrainian President’s Peace Award “for its work in support of the Ukrainian people,” reminded Hrynievych-Bienek.
“Since then, the war has taken on new dimensions, but our commitment to being worthy of this award is unwavering.”
In February 2024, Google claimed it committed “more than $45 million in cash and $7 million in in-kind donations to support humanitarian efforts for people in Ukraine and those fleeing the war” since the beginning of the war.
