Cohort 2026 · Applications Open
Key Studio

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
What Key Studio Offers

Everything you need to go from
idea to company.

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

💰
$100K+
Program Funding
Real runway during ideation so you can think clearly and build without distraction. Awards are reviewed individually.
✓ No equity required at entry
☁️
$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.

01
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.
02
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.
03
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.
04
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.

Google AI Futures Fund logo

"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 JS
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 →
01
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
02
Funding to focus on what matters
Participants can qualify for up to $100K in capital to spend finding conviction and building. Reviewed and awarded based on milestones and eligibility.
Up to $100K Non-dilutive No equity at entry
03
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
04
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.

The Creators

Meet the founders

Key Studio was founded by two ex-Googlers who've lived the transition from operator to builder.

Christopher Fong
Christopher Fong
Co-founder, Key Studio · Xoogler
Kushagra Shrivastava
Kushagra Shrivastava
Co-founder, Key Studio · Xoogler
Applications Open

Your next chapter
starts with
one application.

Cohort 2026 is open now. We're looking for the most ambitious Xooglers ready to build companies that matter.

Apply → Get in touch
Cohort 2026 · Backed by the Google AI Futures Fund
Join Xoogler to
Hire an Ex-Googler
Invest in Xoogler led startups
Find a Co-Founder

Reconnect with Ex-Googlers

Raise Funding
Xoogler connects people
An Initiative Under  The Network Institute