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General information
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What is Google Gadget Ventures?
- Why is Google launching Google Gadget Ventures?
- How does it work?
- What’s the difference between a grant and a seed investment?
- Who decides which ideas receive grants and seed investments?
Eligibility
- Who’s eligible? Can anyone apply?
- Can I apply for funding if I am currently participating in the Google AdWords program?
- Can I apply for funding if I am currently participating in the Google AdSense program?
- Do I need to be over 18?
- Do I need to be a US citizen?
How to apply
- How do I apply for a grant?
- What should I include in my one-page proposal for a grant?
- How are proposals selected to receive Google Gadget Venture grants? What criteria are used?
- How do I apply for a seed investment?
- How are business ideas selected to receive Gadget Venture seed investments? What criteria are used?
- How much does it cost to apply?
- When is the deadline to apply for funding?
- I have lots of great business ideas that incorporate gadgets. Do I have to fill out a separate application for each one?
- Can I apply for seed investments for more than one business idea?
- How long will it take to review my application? When should I expect to hear the back?
- How can I update the information I submitted in my application?
- If I develop a gadget, what kind of distribution can I get for it?
Funding
- How do you ensure that the money you give out gets used for gadget development?
- How many of these investments do you intend to make?
- Can only new businesses get seed investments, or can existing businesses get seed investments as well?
- How long are the grants and seed investments valid?
- If we’re selected to receive a grant or seed investment and can't get started right away, can we delay the start of the funding period for a few weeks?
- Does Google's seed investment in a gadget give it equity solely in the gadget or the entire company that produced it?
1. What is Google Gadget Ventures?
Google Gadget Ventures is a new Google pilot program dedicated to helping developers create richer, more useful gadgets.
2. Why is Google launching Google Gadget Ventures?
The developer community is an extremely important part of our development ecosystem, and we are continually investing in ways to help innovative third-party development.
3. How does it work?
This program is restricted to people who have developed a gadget in our gadgets directory that generates at least 250,000 weekly page views. If you’re eligible and interested in this program, please email us your one-page proposal. Recipients of these grants are then eligible to apply for a seed investment.
4. What’s the difference between a grant and a seed investment?
There’s one main difference. When making a seed investment in a business, Google takes an equity stake in that business. When making a grant, Google does not take ownership of any part of the recipient’s business.
5. Who decides which ideas receive grants and seed investments?
A special committee within Google determines which proposals receive funding.
1. Who’s eligible? Can anyone apply?
This program is restricted to people who have developed a gadget in our gadgets directory that generates at least 250,000 weekly page views. If you’re eligible and interested in this program, please email us your one-page proposal. Recipients of these grants are then eligible to apply for a seed investment.
2. Can I apply for funding if I am currently participating in the Google AdWords program?
Yes. Anyone who’s developed a gadget in our gadgets directory that generates 250,000 weekly page views is eligible to apply.
3. Can I apply for funding if I am currently participating in the Google AdSense program?
Yes. Anyone who’s developed a gadget in our gadgets directory that generates 250,000 weekly page views is eligible to apply.
4. Do I need to be over 18?
Yes.
5. Do I need to be a US citizen?
No. Anyone who's developed a gadget in our gadgets directory that generates 250,000 weekly page views is eligible to apply for funding. However, to be eligible for a $100K seed investment, you do need to be able to start a company in the U.S.
1. How do I apply for a grant?
This program is restricted to people who have developed a gadget in our gadgets directory that generates at least 250,000 weekly page views. If you’re eligible and interested in this program, please email us your one-page proposal. Recipients of these grants are then eligible to apply for a seed investment.
2. What should I include in my one-page proposal for a grant?
The proposal should be one page and include your email address, your gadget URL, ideas about how to improve your current qualifying gadget, and time estimate for development.
3. How are gadgets selected to receive Google Gadget Venture grants? What criteria are used?
A Google committee selects which proposals receive funding. We choose gadgets that have proven themselves to be useful via the size and growth of their user base and which we believe can be made even better for users with more development.
4. How do I apply for a seed investment?
Only Google Gadget Venture grant recipients are eligible to apply for this type of funding. To apply, email us a business plan detailing how you plan to build a viable business around the gadgets platform.
5. How are business ideas selected to receive Gadget Venture seed investments? What criteria are used?
A Google committee selects the business ideas that receive funding. We look for businesses built around gadgets that have shown themselves to be useful via the size and growth of their user base and which we believe can be made even better for users with more development, as well as ideas that we believe can be turned into viable businesses.
6. How much does it cost to apply?
It’s free.
7. When is the deadline to apply for funding?
There is no deadline. The committee solicits and evaluates applications from those who qualify once a month.
8. I have lots of great business ideas that incorporate gadgets. Do I have to fill out a separate application for each one?
Yes. Each application for a grant requires a separate proposal, and each application for a seed investment requires a unique business plan.
9. Can I apply for seed investment for more than one business idea?
Yes. However, we suggest that you focus on one to start, and do it right.
10. How long will it take to review my application? When should I expect to hear the back?
Applications are reviewed once per month, so applicants can expect to hear back from us in about a month.
11. How can I update the information I submitted in my application?
You can email us your updates, but please understand that this may delay the review of your application to the following month.
12. If I develop a gadget, what kind of distribution can I get for it?
The top gadgets receive tens of millions of page views per week.
1. How do you ensure that the money you give out gets used for gadget development?
For $100,000 seed investments, we make the investment in tranches (finance-speak for "segments") based on milestones. We will give some funding up front and then incrementally provide funding based on usage targets for the gadget that we set in conjunction with the company.
2. How many of these investments do you intend to make?
We will make as many investments as there are great gadgets, but we expect that we’ll make between 20 and 40 grants per year, and two to five seed investments per year.
3. Can only new businesses get seed investments, or can existing businesses get seed investments as well?
New and existing companies who have previously received a Google Gadget Ventures grant are eligible for seed investments.
4. How long are the grants and seed investments valid?
Grants are one-time gifts that are renewable if outstanding progress is made on a gadget. A minority of grants will be renewed. For $100,000 seed investments, we make the investment in tranches (finance-speak for "segments") based on milestones. We will give some funding up front and then incrementally provide funding based on usage targets for the gadget that we set in conjunction with the company.
5. If we’re selected to receive a grant or seed investment and can't get started right away, can we delay the start of the funding period for a few weeks?
Yes.
6. Does Google's seed investment in a gadget give it equity solely in the gadget or the entire company that produced it?
Google's investments will be in companies, and the equity for that investment will be equity in these companies.
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