When Chris left Google and started building Xoogler.co in 2015, the idea was simple: stay connected to the people who made Google great. No pitch decks. No agenda. Just a community. Kush joined him on the mission and helped start Xoogler Investments Club that morphed into 100+ investments, 2 venture funds called Xoogler Ventures and numerous syndicated deals.
Eleven years later, that community has grown to 35,000+ members across San Francisco, New York, London, Bangalore, Singapore, Sydney, and beyond. Over 100 startups have been backed through our investment vehicles. More than 300 events happen every year. And the thread running through all of it has always been the same — Xooglers building things together.
Today, we're taking that to a new level.
Introducing Key Studio
Key Studio is the most ambitious thing we've ever built together. It's a first-of-its-kind AI incubator designed specifically for Xoogler founders — combining early access to Google's most advanced AI models, access to capital, cloud credits and the power of a network that only Xoogler can provide.
We built it in partnership with Google's AI Futures Fund. And we couldn't be more proud of what that partnership makes possible.
"Through this new partnership with Key Studio, we're thrilled to enable Xooglers as they explore next-generation AI applications. As a former Xoogler myself, I know firsthand the depth and power of their community."
— Jonathan Silber, Co-Founder & Director, Google AI Futures Fund
Why now?
We've watched talented Xooglers leave Google full of ideas and momentum — and then work with the community to validate their idea, access capital and find customers.
Key Studio brings it all together.
Selected founders receive:
- Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud and AI credits
- Up to $100,000 in funding
- Priority access to Gemini and pre-release Google AI models not yet available to the public
- Full access to the Key AI platform for warm introductions and community
- Mentorship from senior Google and AIFF leaders
- The full weight of a 35,000-person network that genuinely wants to see you win
Marissa Mayer joins as a founding mentor and participant
We're also incredibly honored to share that Marissa Mayer — Google's first female engineer, former head of Search, Maps, Gmail, and Google News, and former CEO of Yahoo — is joining Key Studio as a founding mentor and program participant.
"Google's legacy of innovation is an inspiration for the whole technical industry. Key Studio provides the ideal modern extension of that legacy, giving Google alumni access to frontier AI models and an executive network with experience operating at scale."
— Marissa Mayer, CEO, Dazzle AI
What this means for the community
For us, Key Studio is the most concrete expression yet of what we started building Key AI to do. Our thesis has always been that the most powerful asset a professional has isn't their resume — it's their network. And the most powerful thing we can build is the infrastructure that turns that network into leverage.
Key Studio puts that thesis to work in the most high-stakes context we can imagine: helping exceptional founders build the next generation of AI-first companies.
We're giving founders the unfair advantages that were previously only accessible once you'd already proven yourself. We think that's how it should work.
Applications are open now. The program is intentionally selective — every admitted founder gets the full weight of Key Studio's resources, not a watered-down cohort experience. If you're a Xoogler who's been working on an idea, this is your moment.
We can't wait to see what you build.
— Kush & Chris