Sundar Pichai announces first recipients of Google’s Ukraine Support Fund

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, announced the first 17 recipients of Google’s Ukraine Support Fund. Seventeen Ukrainian businesses will receive financial support and mentoring from Google for Startups, a program that helps early-stage startups by connecting them with the right people and practices.

In a tweet shared this morning, Sundar Pichai wrote: “While in Warsaw, Poland in March, I announced our Ukraine Support Fund to help Ukrainian entrepreneurs maintain and grow their businesses in a time of war.

“Today we're welcoming the 1st recipients who will receive financing + mentoring from Google for Startups,” he added.

While in Warsaw, Poland in March, I announced our Ukraine Support Fund to help Ukrainian entrepreneurs maintain and grow their businesses in a time of war. Today we're welcoming the 1st recipients who will receive financing + mentoring from @GoogleStartups https://t.co/NQQELKCjHN

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) May 31, 2022

In a blog post offering further details, Google said its $5 million fund will help allocate equity-free cash awards to Ukrainian startups all through 2022. The fund will assist Ukrainian entrepreneurs in maintaining and growing their businesses, strengthening their community and building a foundation for post-war economic recovery, Google said.

“Selected Ukraine-based startups will receive up to $100,000 in non-dilutive funding as well as ongoing Google mentorship, product support, and Cloud credits,” the tech giant said while announcing the first recipients of the fund.

Among the 17 startups selected, most are tech-centric and a few are AI-powered.

Google spoke to Ukraine Support Fund recipient Dimitri Podoliev, CEO and co-founder of Mindly, a mental health support app that offers AI-powered patient care and clinical admin automation. “Therapists are people too, and they are all from Ukraine and in very difficult situations, I feel it unfair to ask them to work for free,” Podoliev said. “During the time of war, Mindly has committed to invest 100% of its income in mental health therapy for Ukrainians who currently can’t afford to pay for it themselves. Our goal is to maximize the number of free-of-charge therapy sessions we can provide and people we can help.”