Overview

The Next Wave Fund offers a support program for early-stage technology startups and small businesses developing innovative products, providing financial backing, expert mentorship, and promotional support to help entrepreneurs successfully launch and scale their ideas.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Must be an entrepreneur or small business with fewer than 20 full-time employees.
Project must focus on technology or digital gaming.
At least one team member must be either a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident, or O-1 visa holder.
Project bank account must be based in the United States.
Primary applicant must be at least 18 years old.
Applicants must intend to run a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

Benefits

Selected participants receive a comprehensive support package that includes:

$10,000 pledge toward the project's crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter.
Hands-on guidance from Kickstarter’s Design & Technology team.
Free access to training programs developed by Google, including the Google AI Professional Certificate.
Access to Kickstarter’s entrepreneur community forum and networking opportunities.
Promotion through Kickstarter’s email newsletters and social media channels.
Potential eligibility to apply for Google Accelerator programmes as the business scales.