Google launches an AI incubator for former employees

Google is developing an AI startup incubator aimed specifically at former employees, known as “Xooglers.” Ana-Maria Stanciuc reports for The Next Web, citing Bloomberg, that the initiative would give Google an early foothold in ventures founded by people who already know the company’s tools and models.

The incubator would sit alongside two existing programmes. Google already runs the AI Futures Fund, a joint effort by Google DeepMind and Google Labs that co-invests up to around $2 million in early-stage startups and pairs that funding with technical collaboration and early access to DeepMind’s models. The Google for Startups accelerators offer a separate, equity-free track. An alumni incubator would add a third channel, one built around familiarity rather than discovery.

A response to a significant talent exodus

The backdrop is a wave of departures from leading AI labs. Venture investors have channelled roughly $18.8 billion into AI startups founded since the start of 2025, much of it backing founders with recognisable names from frontier research. Notable examples include:

• David Silver, a central figure behind AlphaGo, left DeepMind to found Ineffable Intelligence, which was backed by Sequoia and Nvidia at a valuation of around $5.1 billion.
• A group of ex-DeepMind founders raised $20 million for Airspeed, an AI sales agent startup.
• Nobel laureate John Jumper left DeepMind for Anthropic, a move that signals the pull toward rivals as well as new ventures.

For Google, the incubator serves a dual purpose. It is a defensive move that keeps the company close to former staff who are likely to build consequential products. It is also an opportunistic one: by becoming an early investor and technical partner, Google gains a stake in companies it would otherwise only read about.

The logic is straightforward. Former employees need no introduction to Google’s systems or researchers, which makes building a working relationship faster and less costly. Offering model access and capital lowers the friction of leaving while preserving Google’s claim on any upside.

The fund’s size, the cheques it would write, and its launch timeline remain undisclosed. Google has not commented publicly on the plans.