Cohort 2026

Join a cohort of Xooglers building the next generation of AI.

Introducing Key Studio, a venture program for ex-Googlers, backed by Google AI Futures Fund.

Apply → See the program ↓

$100K

In program funding

$350K

Google Cloud & AI credits

Top-Tier

Mentor & investor network

Early Access

To Google's latest AI models

Backed & Supported by

Google AI Futures Fund

Program supporter

Google Cloud

Infrastructure partner

Gemini AI

Model access

Xoogler.co

Community platform

What Key Studio Offers

Everything you need to go from
idea to company.

Support designed for the reality of building at the AI frontier.

💰

Up to $100K

in Funding

Reviewed and awarded based on milestones and eligibility

☁️

$350K

Google Cloud & AI Credits

Google Cloud and AI credits to prototype, test, and scale. Subject to Google's review process.

Google Cloud · Google DeepMind

🤝

Cofounder
Matching

Find your builder

We help you find the cofounder who completes your skill set — vetted Xooglers only.

Vetted Xooglers only

🤖

Early AI
Model Access

Be the first to build

Early access to Google's most advanced AI models to unlock new capabilities for your users.

Subject to AI Futures Fund Approval

📈

VC Pipeline
& Introductions

Capital beyond the studio

Warm introductions to a curated network of angels and venture capital partners as part of our follow-on support.

Ongoing relationships · Seed & Series A

🧭

Expert
Advisors

People who've done it

Direct access to founders, operators, and investors who've helped startups scale.

Founders · operators · investors

Who This Is For

Are you ready
to build?

Key Studio is open to ex-Googlers at any stage — pre-idea, thesis, or early product. At least one founder must have Google experience. We welcome all functions and all geographies.

Apply →

🎯

Ex-Googler founder

At least one founder must have worked at Google or at an acquired company

🌱

Any stage

Pre-idea, thesis stage, or early product. No deck, co-founder, or revenue required to apply.

⚡

Any function

Product, engineering, design, GTM, operations. What matters is your depth of experience and drive to build.

The Journey

From Xoogler
to founder, step by step.

Apply & get selected

Share your background, domain expertise, and what you want to build. We look for depth of experience and genuine ambition — not just polished decks.

Join the cohort

Get embedded in a focused cohort of fellow Xooglers going through the same journey — testing ideas, finding cofounders, and pushing each other to move faster.

Build with support

Access program funding, cloud credits, early AI models, and hands-on guidance from mentors who've navigated this exact transition before you.

Get funded & scale

Move from idea to company with investor introductions and follow-on support as you raise your first institutional round.

Mentor Network

Learn from those
who've been there.

Advisors with direct experience going from Googler to founder, operator, or investor.

Our Partnership

Created with
Google AI Futures Fund.

Key Studio was created with Google's AI Futures Fund, and helps Xoogler founders. It's one of the most meaningful opportunities an AI founder can have when they get started.

"Through this new partnership with Key Studio, we're thrilled to enable Xooglers as they explore next generation AI applications. As a former Xoogler myself, I know first hand the depth and strength of their community. I can't wait to see what they build when they combine that with access to the latest Google technologies and expertise through the AI Futures Fund."

Jonathan Silber

Google's AI Futures Fund

Why Key Studio

The people who built
Google are building
what comes next.

You spent years inside one of the most consequential technology companies in history. You understand scale, systems, and what it takes to ship products that billions depend on. That foundation is rare — and almost no one outside of Google truly gets it.

Key Studio exists for one reason: to turn that foundation into the next generation of defining AI companies.

Apply →

Built by Xooglers, for Xooglers

Xooglers share a foundation unlike any other — scale, systems, and product excellence. That shared language is your first competitive advantage.

Cofounder matching Peer cohort Ex-Googler network

Funding to focus on what matters

Up to $100K · Reviewed and awarded based on milestones and eligibility. See FAQs for details.

Up to $100K

The AI frontier, before everyone else

Cohort members get early access to the latest Gemini models and up to $350K in Google Cloud and AI credits — the same infrastructure powering the most advanced AI on the planet.

Gemini access Up to $350K credits Early model access

From zero to funded

From day one through your first institutional check, Key Studio is in the trenches with you — product decisions, investor introductions, and the chaos of early-stage building.

Investor introductions Follow-on support Operator mentors

FAQ

Common questions,
answered.

What is Key Studio?

Who runs Key Studio?

What stage should I be at to apply?

Do I need to have worked at Google to apply?

Can I apply as a solo founder?

Can teams apply together?

Do I need a technical background?

How do I apply?

How selective is the program?

How long is the program?

Who are the mentors?

Will I get access to the Xoogler community beyond my cohort?

Does Key Studio take equity?

Yes. Founders who join a Key Studio cohort grant 2% equity as a condition of participation — allocated as two 1% pools: 1% to Key Studio, and 1% pooled among the founders of that cohort. This equity is a condition of joining the cohort and is not tied to or dependent on the amount of program funding a founder receives. We structure it this way so that the incentives of the studio and of every founder in the cohort are aligned — the founder pool reflects our belief that Key Studio should function as a real community, where founders share a stake in each other’s success, not just their own company’s outcome. Exact terms are set out in each cohort’s participation agreement.

Last updated: Aug 30, 2028

Equity, participation and funding terms described on this page are illustrative and subject to change. They do not constitute an offer, and final terms are governed exclusively by the participation agreement executed between Key Studio and each founder/company. In the event of any conflict between this page and a signed participation agreement, the participation agreement controls.

The Creators