Google for Startups has partnered with global early-stage venture capital firm Antler to launch the Google for Startups Immersion: EMEA & Africa program. The initiative is designed to propel high-growth, AI-native startups across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, using London as the ultimate commercial launchpad.
The expansion into the EMEA and African regions follows a successful inaugural rollout in India earlier this year. Launched in May 2026, the Indian cohort concluded with an in-person residency at Google Bengaluru, establishing the program’s efficiency in transitioning teams from basic AI experimentation to scalable enterprise deployment.
The upcoming EMEA and Africa chapter is a two-phase technical and venture-scaling program that begins with a virtual sprint of four comprehensive online sessions running from October 22 to October 28, 2026. These sessions feature parallel curricula customised for both business builders and technical architects. Under the Engineering Track, which is led by Google product experts, founders undergo intensive codelabs utilising Google AI Studio, Google Antigravity, and the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform to move past standard AI wrappers into autonomous engineering. Simultaneously, the Venture Track is co-anchored by Antler partners to address the foundational math of scaling a startup, including unit economics, business-to-business and software-as-a-service pricing models, and structural market defensibility.
Following the virtual sprint, the top 25 standout startups from the entire EMEA cohort will be selected for an invite-only, in-person residency at a Google office in London on December 1, 2026. This second phase focuses deeply on technical execution and capital strategy. Selected founders secure one-on-one, hands-on architectural whiteboarding sessions with Google engineers to optimise production stacks and undergo live bug-squashing on their software. Participants will also engage in targeted venture capital office hours with Antler’s investment team to refine their go-to-market playbooks and maximise investor readiness for upcoming fundraising rounds.
Unlike traditional ideation incubators, this elite technical sprint targets active founders, including the chief executive officers (CEOs), chief technology officers (CTOs), and chief product officers (CPOs). To qualify for the program, participating startups must meet the following criteria:
- Possess a live product already deployed in the wild
- Demonstrate verifiable customer market traction
- Feature machine learning or artificial intelligence integrated directly into the central software architecture
This allows regional founders to leverage Google’s engineering capacity while simultaneously tapping into Antler’s operator-led investment DNA to structure globally competitive cross-border enterprises.
How to Apply for the Google for Startups AI Program
Applications for the Google for Startups Immersion: EMEA & Africa cohort are currently open to technology founders across the continent and Europe. Interested participants can register through the Google for Startups event portal before the fixed deadline on October 13, 2026.
