Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled plans to inject $230 million into supporting early-stage generative AI startups, marking a significant expansion of its global Generative AI Accelerator program.
The initiative aims to assist 80 founders and innovators worldwide, with a special focus on nurturing 20 startups from the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. Scheduled to commence on October 1 and run for 10 weeks, the accelerator program will offer intensive technical and business training sessions covering essential areas such as machine learning, stack optimization, and effective go-to-market strategies.
Participants selected for the AWS Generative AI Accelerator will also benefit from substantial AWS credits, potentially amounting to $1 million, which can be utilized for AWS compute, storage, databases, and cutting-edge ML accelerators like AWS Trainium and AWS Inferentia2.
The program aims not only to equip startups with crucial resources but also to provide invaluable business and technical mentorship, along with networking opportunities with industry experts.
In parallel, AWS has introduced the AWS Generative AI Spotlight program tailored for pre-seed and seed-stage startups in the APJ region. In India, AWS has partnered with Accel, a prominent venture capital firm, to bolster these efforts.
Together, they aim to replicate the success of their previous collaborations such as the ML Elevate 2023 program, which supported 35 generative AI startups in India. The AWS Generative AI Spotlight program in APJ is expected to select up to 120 startups, including 40 from India, further underscoring AWS’s commitment to fostering technological innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.
Matt Taylor, Head of Startups Solutions Architecture for APJ at AWS, emphasized the transformative potential of AWS’s generative AI initiatives, citing their role in empowering startups to innovate across various sectors. Amitabh Nagpal, Head of Startup Ecosystem at AWS India, highlighted the programs’ alignment with India’s broader innovation goals, inviting eligible startups to apply and seize the opportunity to leverage AWS’s robust AI infrastructure for driving impactful change in their respective industries.