Startups writing applications for Cloudflare’s App Platform can now qualify for up to $100,000 in credits to use Google’s cloud infrastructure for their development work.
Some startups will also be eligible for round-the-clock technical support and access to engineers from Google’s technical solutions team under a collaborative initiative announced by the two companies Sept. 19.
Organizations that receive the free Google Cloud Platform credits will be allowed to use them in any manner they want. That includes everything from using the credits to host application components on Google’s cloud platform to using Google’s infrastructure to do advanced data analytics. Developers will also be able to use the credits on Google’s machine learning and artificial intelligence APIs.
In a prepared statement Tuesday, Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince described the initiative as designed to encourage developers to write applications that integrate well with Cloudflare’s content delivery network.
“This is just another example of how we’re continuing to find new and collaborative ways to encourage app development and unlock access to Cloudflare’s global infrastructure in a scalable way,” he noted.
More than 6 million websites around the world currently route their traffic through Cloudflare’s global network to speed up performance and to ensure secure content delivery. The company maintains a network of 117 data centers around the world that it claims can route and deliver web content to users much faster than regular ISP networks can.
Cloudflare also offers a suite of security services such as denial of service protection, web application firewall and rate limiting to help its clients detect and block Internet borne threats at the network edge.
Cloudflare’s Apps Platform launched earlier this year is a collection of APIs that developers can use to launch and deliver their applications across Cloudflare’s network to the company’s end customers. Along with Apps Platform, Cloudflare also announced a $100 million developer fund to encourage developers to write applications that work with its global infrastructure.
The new collaboration with Google continues Cloudflare’s efforts to spur development activity around the Apps Platform by providing qualified startups with subsidized, to no-cost access to Google’s cloud infrastructure for development and testing.
Cloudflare Apps developers are eligible for Google Cloud Platform credits that range from $3,000 to $100,000. Startups that apply for the incentives will go through an approval process. Startups with applications that are deemed ‘exceptional’ will qualify for the $100,000 credit, which will be awarded in increments of $20,000. Very early stage startups can qualify for up to $3,000 in credits to use Google’s infrastructure for developing Cloudflare applications.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Google on Monday announced the availability of a new resource called Startup With Google that is designed to provide young companies with assistance to get up and running quickly.
Startup With Google offers online startups advice and insights from other startup founders on how to get funding for their projects, find talent and improve team collaboration, said Kaili Emmrich, a member of Google For Entrepreneurs in a blog. It also providers founders with opportunities to connect with mentors and investors in their companies, Emmrich said.