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AND Startup Accelerator,
powered by
Google

A platform for leading startups to grow and scale through harnessing AI technologies, in partnership with Google Cloud.

Nurturing visionary startups to harness the power of AI and ignite their growth

AND Startup Accelerator, powered by Google, is a free 6-week programme to propel leading retail and e-commerce startups.

Participants will gain hands-on training and coaching to advance their AI, data and cloud skills - led by Google Cloud’s specialists and our digital upskilling experts at AND Digital.

By the end of the programme, participants will have fully embedded Google’s transformative Gen AI-powered contact centre technology (CCAI) - a key enabler in e-commerce growth and scalability. Participants will also receive Google Cloud credits, free of charge.

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“Upskilling and supporting innovation is part of our DNA. We are delighted to be partnering with Google in helping more startups build technical AI capability and solve their business challenges."

Leena Pankhania, AI Strategy and Transformation Product Lead at AND Digital

About AND Startup Accelerator

The accelerator is a 6-week programme for a cohort of leading UK startups. The programme will be based in London and will start in October 2024.

AND Startup Accelerator is tailored specifically to growth-stage startups in the retail/e-commerce sector that are looking to further their adoption of AI technologies.

By the end of the programme, startups will have been able to successfully embed Google Cloud's transformative Contact Center AI (CCAI) technology. CCAI allows retailers to deliver exceptional customer experiences powered by generative AI and is a key enabler in retail visionaries being able to scale their products.

Find out more about Contact Center AI (CCAI).

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Collective expertise from AND Digital and Google Cloud

AND Startup Accelerator is expert-led and hands on in order to to fully equip startups with the technical, product, and leadership skills that will be invaluable for their future growth.

Startups will benefit from both AND Digital and Google Cloud's team of experts, plus additional support from specialist retail partners.

Discover more of the programme benefits below.

Knowledge, insight and networking with cohort of fellow industry visionaries

Tailored coaching from experts to grow and accelerate your use of AI

Personalised guidance and feedback from programme mentors

Specialised guidance on areas such as product development, marketing and fundraising

Hands-on training on Google Cloud products and services, from Google's experts

'Ask Me Anything' sessions with Google Cloud experts and industry professionals

Who can apply?

AND Startup Accelerator is open to all startups and scaleups in the UK that meet the following criteria:

  • Operate within the retail sector, with a live marketplace or e-commerce platform.
  • Are demonstrating traction, ideally between seed and Series A stage funding.
  • Are building a scalable product or service.

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Selection criteria

As part of the selection process, firms will be judged based on their ability to demonstrate:

A high-performing team

Resilient, ambitious team with a strong learning mindset, shared belief and alignment with company vision and deep market knowledge.

Projected traction

Scalable product or service that targets a sizeable market, demonstrates robust customer engagement/adoption and a defensible growth strategy.

Technical expertise

Readiness in relation to adopting AI and machine learning technologies. Plus, appropriate access to the necessary systems, data and security provisions to take part in the programme.

Cloud readiness

Readiness and maturity in relation to Google Cloud, with evidence of a willingness to scale their solutions for future growth.

Data availability

Feasibility of using historical data to drive both conversational and knowledge datasets.

Stakeholder buy-in

Senior leadership and board-level buy-in with sufficient operational support for engagement throughout the duration of the programme.

Apply now for AND Startup Accelerator

To apply, please complete our short form and you will be taken to the next step of the process to submit further details about your startup.

Additional Info

Applications are open. To apply, please complete the above form.

Applications will remain open until 23:59 on 5th October 2024.

There are 3 stages to the application process.

1. Application questionnaire with details about your startup, team, tech stack and growth ambitions.

2. Following questionnaire completion, we may ask you to submit a product demo.

3. Final interview with our selection panel.

The accelerator is open to retail startups in the UK and we ask that you apply on behalf of your business. 

Due to the nature of the initiative, we are unable to accommodate changes to the participants once the Accelerator is live.

You'll be asked a series of questions on your business and team, your current tech stack, the problems you're hoping to solve with Contact Center AI and your future growth aspirations.

 

For applicants who progress through to the interview stage, we may request further due diligence information (such as evidence of company accounts and directors).

Yes, the Accelerator is specifically tailored to embedding Google’s Contact Centre AI (CCAI) technology.

 

You can find out more about CCAI here.

No. As part of the application process, we would like you to evidence that you have considered the potential impact of CCAI in your company and how it could benefit your day to day operations. But, during the course of the programme you will work alongside experts to identify, scope and prioritise a specific long-list of potential opportunity areas to target your PoC.

AND Startup Accelerator is for companies currently based in the UK, who are able to attend in-person sessions in London throughout the Accelerator.

 

Participants will be required to be in London for around 1 day per week for the 6 week duration of the Accelerator.

The AND Startup Accelerator will commence in September and will run for a period of 6 weeks. Participants can expect to spend time between AND Digital and Google Cloud’s offices.

The programme will be delivered through a combination of in-person office days and remote sessions. Participants can expect to spend time between AND Digital and Google Cloud’s offices.

 

We expect to organise a number of in-person events over the programme period, including some evening activities on in-person days.

The 6 weeks of the Accelerator have been carefully curated to provide the maximum possible benefit in the shortest amount of time by targeting content towards the practicalities of CCAI adoption in the retail sector, and overcoming some of the barriers that may constrain you as you grow.

 

As such, we encourage participants to attend all sessions to realise the full benefit of the Accelerator and to follow this step by step journey, providing you with the opportunity to learn from experienced experts and connect with others, however we recognise that there may be times when you are unable to attend a session. 

 

At a minimum, we ask that you attend a minimum of 80% of the additional programme activities, with self-directed material available to access at a time that suits you.

Unfortunately, if your initial application is not successful for the programme, we cannot provide feedback to all our applicants but we will communicate with you regarding the outcome either way.

No, the Accelerator does not directly award funds to participating businesses. All of the support provided during the programme is offered free of charge to participants.

Ready to get started?

Apply by completing the form above.

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