In a bold move to harness artificial intelligence for environmental protection, Google has launched its first AI for Nature Accelerator, supporting 15 early-stage startups across North and Latin America that are tackling biodiversity loss, climate change, and ecosystem degradation.
“With more than 50% of global GDP exposed to nature-related risks, environmental threats are now economic threats,” Google emphasized in its launch statement.
The 10-week program offers participating startups technical mentorship from Google engineers, access to advanced AI, machine learning, and geospatial tools via Google Cloud and Maps, as well as long-term support through Google’s alumni network. The initiative reflects the growing momentum behind tech-driven solutions for nature-based challenges and the rising urgency to link innovation with ecological stewardship.
Selected Startups and Impact Areas:
- Brightband (US) – Delivers AI-powered weather forecasting to reduce the economic toll of extreme weather, which costs the U.S. alone $162 billion annually.
- SenseNet (Canada) – Uses AI-linked sensors to detect and predict wildfires in real time, improving emergency response and land management.
- Ceres Seeding (Brazil) – Deploys autonomous drones to reforest inaccessible terrains quickly and affordably, accelerating ecosystem restoration.
- Earthshot Labs (US) – Builds carbon market infrastructure to help fund regenerative land projects and scale verified nature-based offsets.
- Abundance (Brazil) & Renoster (US) – Bring transparency to carbon markets through AI, data science, and blockchain verification.
- OnDeck (Canada) – Applies AI to automate marine biodiversity monitoring from underwater videos, supporting ocean conservation.
- Xatoms (Canada) – Fuses AI and quantum chemistry to develop water purification solutions for a warming, water-stressed planet.
- Savimbo (US) – Enables Indigenous communities to earn from conservation by accessing climate finance directly through a digital platform.
Other participants offer climate-aligned innovations across biodiversity analytics, land use, ecosystem crediting, and environmental compliance.
Google’s accelerator aligns with broader efforts to mainstream AI into ESG innovation, especially where nature intersects with global finance. As regulators and investors demand stronger nature-risk disclosures, tools that make biodiversity and climate risks measurable and actionable are becoming central to sustainable business models.
By incubating these ventures, Google not only fosters early innovation but also contributes to building a more resilient green economy—one where AI plays a key role in protecting the planet.
