Public services are fundamental to our daily lives, from healthcare and social benefits to energy and crisis response. To keep pace with rising demands, these complex systems must constantly evolve. While governments often face challenges like legacy technology and talent gaps, AI presents a pivotal opportunity for transformation. Startups are uniquely positioned to deliver these solutions. They can help governments improve efficiency, enhance service delivery, and modernize critical public infrastructure.

To help accelerate this change, we launched the Google for Startups Growth Academy: AI for GovTech program. This program empowers founders across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Turkiye with advanced AI technology and hands-on mentorship. Our goal is to accelerate the deployment of AI solutions for governments.

We are excited to share the 25 startups selected from our inaugural cohort. Chosen from over 700 applications, these companies are already driving the evolution of government operations, from the UAE to Spain:

• BABLE Smart Cities (Germany: Climate) provides a central online tool for city officials, helping them find the project ideas, funding opportunities, and companies they need to build smarter, more climate-friendly cities.
• CargoSeer (Israel: Customs) streamlines how customs agencies check international cargo shipments using AI.
• Chefaa (Egypt: Health) simplifies prescription orders and refills for patients, especially those managing chronic illnesses, through its app.
• Class of Wonders (Portugal: Education) develops AI-powered educational games to improve foundational reading and math skills for public schools.
• DyCare (Spain: Health) provides at-home physical rehabilitation, ensuring patients accurately perform and are guided through their recovery exercises.
• Earlybird (United Kingdom: Public Administration) uses voice to automate administrative tasks and paperwork for citizen support staff.
• E-GovConnect (Nigeria: Health) using data to spot health risks faster and provide support to communities.
• Empeiria (UAE: Cybersecurity) enables sensitive industries like healthcare and finance to verify data and user identity, ensuring private information stays secure.
• ForestGuard (Turkiye: Climate) uses smart sensors and AI to spot wildfires at their earliest stages.
• FortyGuard (UAE: Climate) delivers precise, street-level temperature data to improve urban heat management.
• Infinity Health Africa (Nigeria: Health) helps medical companies navigate complex regulatory frameworks for novel health products.
• Intelmatix (Saudi Arabia: Public Administration) helps teams automate tasks and enhance decision-making with AI agents.
• Lahint (Saudi Arabia: Public Services) streamlines governmental processes for businesses by unifying various official portals into a single, intuitive interface.
• LIVRESQ (Romania: Education) supports public education by developing and disseminating official digital curricula and teacher training programs nationwide.
• MPost (Rwanda: Public Services) helps individuals without a physical street address receive mail and packages, utilizing their mobile number as a digital address.
• Net Zero Build (Saudi Arabia: Public Services) streamlines the complicated process of obtaining "green building" certifications.
• PhotoAiD (Poland: Public Services) lets people take official ID, passport, and visa photos directly from their smartphone.
• Plexigrid (Spain: Energy) supports electricity grid operators in managing the new demands from renewable energy and electric vehicles.
• Sahl AI (Saudi Arabia: Health) automatically writes clinical notes from doctor-patient conversations.
• SCUBIC (Portugal: Energy) helps cities save energy and reduce costs by using data.
• SEEDiA (Poland: Transportation) makes AI-powered, solar-run bus stops and charging stations that provide real-time city and transit information.
• SiWeGO (Italy: Transportation) partners with cities and public transit to offer a sustainable delivery service that matches packages with vehicles already on the road.
• SustainGRC (United Kingdom: Public Services) centralizes environmental impact tracking, risk management, and compliance reporting for companies.
• TDE (UAE: Energy) uses AI to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions for energy companies.
• Wittify AI (Saudi Arabia: Public Services) creates Arabic-first AI assistants that allow businesses and government agencies and government agencies to answer customer questions ensuring conversations feel natural by understanding local dialects.

We asked some of the participating founders what role they see AI playing in shaping the future of public services. Here’s what they shared:

The program kicks off online today. We are running it in exclusive partnership with the Emirates Government Service Excellence Program (EGSEP) under the Prime Minister's Office, and supported by European local partners such as the European Innovation Council which helped to drive a strong pool of applications. This October, the cohort will come together for an in-person bootcamp in Dubai. They will join workshops, receive mentorship, and network with Google AI experts and leadership.

We are excited to see this cohort scale their solutions across the region. Most importantly, we look forward to seeing how they partner with governments to build AI applications that truly work for all.