Singapore – Google Cloud has launched a new regional initiative aimed at helping Southeast Asian artificial intelligence startups scale internationally through partnerships with government and innovation agencies across Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
The initiative, called Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia, was announced on May 25 during the Google for Startups Sprint event at Google’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. The program is being launched in collaboration with Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, Vietnam National Innovation Center, and Startup and Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City.
According to Google Cloud, the initiative is designed to establish an “AI startup innovation corridor” linking Southeast Asia with Silicon Valley, while supporting startups developing proprietary agentic AI technologies.
The company said applications are now open for the first cohort of 25 startups, which will participate in a three-month equity-free accelerator program beginning in August 2026. The program will target Seed to Series B startups across six Southeast Asian markets.
Participating startups will gain access to technical residencies in California and Singapore, engineering advisory support, and partnerships with Google Cloud teams. The initiative also includes in-person sessions at Google campuses in Mountain View and San Francisco, as well as engagements with venture capital firms in Silicon Valley.
Google Cloud said the accelerator builds on earlier startup initiatives in Southeast Asia that have supported more than 200 startups in the region since 2018. According to the company, these startups collectively raised US$6.6 billion in funding and created more than 11,300 jobs.
Among the companies cited by Google Cloud as participants in previous accelerator initiatives were Advance, Betterdata, Buymed, Good Doctor, HealthMetrics, Igloo, Kata.ai, Privy, Speedoc, TopCV, and Wela.
Sami Kizilbash, Head of Developer Ecosystems, Asia Pacific, Google Cloud, said: “Building on this success, Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia aims to serve Seed to Series B AI startups across industries and six countries. We often hear from founders that the jump from product-market fit to international expansion is their hardest leap. This bespoke program bridges that gap by providing direct access to best-in-class resources and global tech hubs to help them commercialize frontier AI at scale. Through our public-private partnerships and broad spectrum of initiatives—including Startup School: Agentic AI and Gen AI Academy—we’re supporting entrepreneurs and developers at every stage of their growth journey. Together, we’re fostering communities of practice that establish Southeast Asia markets as trusted nodes for proven AI solutions that drive meaningful societal and economic impact.”
The accelerator program will also provide startups with access to Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure and tooling, including Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), Gemini models, and enterprise AI platforms. Eligible startups may also receive up to US$350,000 in cloud credits through the Google for Startups Cloud Program.
Additional support will include technical bootcamps, mentorship from Google product teams, and opportunities to showcase products to investors and enterprise customers during a demo day and startup summit in Singapore.
Wong Zeng Yi, Assistant Managing Director, Enterprise Singapore, said: “Our partnership with Google Cloud has benefitted close to 60 Singapore AI startups. We’re pleased to deepen this collaboration to enable the next wave of startups to gain access to the networks and technical expertise needed to scale and enter new markets. EnterpriseSG will continue to work with like-minded partners and industry players to foster a thriving AI ecosystem in Singapore where startups can innovate and establish themselves as global players.”
Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, Director General of Digital Ecosystem at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs Indonesia, said: “Strengthening the AI ecosystem is an important step in accelerating Indonesia’s inclusive and sustainable digital transformation. As one of Southeast Asia’s largest digital economies, Indonesia continues to encourage the development and adoption of AI solutions that create meaningful impact across key sectors, including education, food security, and healthcare. Through Google Cloud’s continued support in capacity building, providing access to frontier technology, and ecosystem development, more Indonesian founders are expected to build and scale digital innovations that deliver broader benefits to communities across the country.”
Vu Quoc Huy, Director of the Vietnam National Innovation Center, said: “The ‘AI for the Future’ initiative by NIC and Google has supported more than 500 Vietnamese startups. Building on this momentum, Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia serves as a bridge between cutting-edge tech startups in our priority sectors and partners in Singapore and Silicon Valley. By facilitating collaboration in advanced fields like agentic AI and embodied AI, we’re helping to transform research breakthroughs into the next wave of enterprise and industrial solutions, boosting Vietnam’s national competitiveness and driving market productivity gains.”
Dang Thi Luan, Director of the Startup and Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City, said: “As the nucleus of Ho Chi Minh City’s innovation ecosystem—now ranked among the world’s top 100—SIHUB is committed to fast-tracking the transition from technical proof-of-concept to commercial success. Our collaboration with Google Cloud creates a two-way corridor: a conduit for high-potential Vietnamese AI startups to scale internationally, and a trusted gateway for their regional peers to enter our vibrant market. Through Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia, we’re empowering Vietnam’s entrepreneurial tech talent to architect sophisticated agentic AI solutions for sectors like fintech and smart logistics while facilitating the high-caliber exchanges they need to grow and compete sustainably on the world stage.”
