Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company, opened applications for the third cohort of the AWS Generative AI Accelerator (GAIA), an eight-week global program designed to scale early-stage startups building foundational generative AI technologies.
Forty promising startups from around the world will be selected for this year’s program, which kicks off on Oct. 13, 2025, at Amazon HQ1 in Seattle. Applications are open from June 10 through July 10, and the selected cohort will be announced Sept. 24, 2025.
With generative AI tools now widely available, AWS is focusing efforts in 2025 to support those startups who are developing generative AI technologies, including building models, infrastructure, fine-tuning tools, and agentic workflows that will drive the next wave of innovation. The program aims to accelerate these teams with up to $1 million in AWS credits, technical guidance and mentorship, go-to-market support, and access to AWS’ generative AI tech stack.
“We are now at a stage where virtually all startups will be applying generative AI to their business in one shape or form. That’s why for this year’s accelerator, we are honing our focus to support those startups developing the foundational technologies that will define what’s possible with AI,” said Jon Jones, VP and global head of startups at AWS.
“This year’s program is part of our continued commitment to accelerate generative AI innovation around the world by providing ground-breaking startups with the credits, mentorship, and visibility they need to scale with confidence.”
The AWS Generative AI Accelerator is an eight-week hybrid program, offering virtual sessions between the in-person launch at the Amazon HQ in Seattle and conclusion of the program at AWS re:Invent 2025. Startups building large language models, infrastructure tooling, fine-tuning platforms, or foundational agents are especially encouraged to apply.
Interested companies should prepare a functioning Minimum Viable Product (MVP), have significant customer traction, and a strong technical team. Prior AWS experience is not required, but those already building on AWS will benefit most from hands-on architecture guidance and marketplace enablement.
The 2025 cohort will reflect AWS’ commitment to global inclusion, with selected companies drawn from North America, Asia-Pacific and Japan, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and Latin America. The program will include industry-specific mentoring and support for foundational model companies, infrastructure providers, and application-layer innovators.
For more information on AWS Startups, visit www.startups.aws.
SparkUp is BusinessWorld’s multimedia brand created to inform, inspire, and empower the Philippine startups; micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); and future business leaders. This section will be published every other Monday. For pitches and releases about startups, e-mail to bmbeltran@bworldonline.com (cc: abconoza@bworldonline.com). Materials sent become BW property.
