Google and KDDI launch AI startup support program

Google and KDDI have announced the AI Startup Support Program to back innovative AI-native Japanese startups.

• Joint funding will come from the Google AI Futures Fund and KDDI Open Innovation Fund for selected startups.
• Participants will get early access to Gemini, Nano Banana, and Lyria, plus Google Cloud credits and credits for sovereign Gemini and GPUs provisioned in Japan via KDDI’s Osaka-Sakai Data Center; the program also includes technical and business support.
• The announcement says the program is intended to accelerate AI-native Japanese startups and invites Japanese teams to apply via the AI Futures Fund website.
• No specific investment amounts, timelines, or startup names are disclosed in the text.