Originally published at https://blog.light-cloud.com/startup/light-cloud-joins-google-for-startps-program on the Light Cloud Blog.
Summary: We got accepted into Google Cloud for Startups. Yes, we're building a tool to help you escape vendor lock-in, and yes, Google is giving us credits. The irony isn't lost on us.
We have news: Light Cloud has been accepted into the Google Cloud for Startups program.
I know what you're thinking. "Wait, aren't you building a tool that helps people avoid vendor lock-in? And now you're getting backed by... a vendor?"
Yes. And honestly? That's exactly the point.
Maybe Google's old "Don't be evil" motto still means something. Supporting a startup that's building tools to give developers more freedom and choice? That's not evil. That's actually pretty cool.
Why This Matters
Here's the thing about building cloud-agnostic infrastructure: you still need to run it somewhere. We're a bootstrapped pre-seed startup, and cloud credits are cloud credits. Google isn't paying us to lock anyone in—they're betting that developers who have choice will still choose good products.
That's the future we're building toward. One where you pick your cloud provider because it's the best fit, not because migrating away would require sacrificing your firstborn to the Kubernetes gods.
What We Get
The program gives us credits to run our own infrastructure, access to Google Cloud's technical resources, and connections to their startup ecosystem. For a two-person team (plus one incredible advisor) building an entirely new category of software, this kind of support goes a long way.
What We're Building
If you're new here: Light Cloud is creating the Integrated Cloud Environment (ICE)—think Visual Studio, but for cloud infrastructure. We're bringing architecture, infrastructure, observability, security, and code into one visual platform.
No more juggling Terraform, CloudWatch, cost calculators, and architecture diagrams in 47 browser tabs. No more surprise bills. No more being stuck with one provider because migration would take six months and three engineers you don't have.
What's Next
We're deep in MVP development and actively raising our pre-seed round. This grant means more runway to build, more time to get ICE into the hands of developers who are as frustrated with cloud complexity as I was when I started this company.
If that's you—if you've ever spent 14 hours debugging Kubernetes networking or gotten a cloud bill that made you question your life choices—we're building Light Cloud for you.
Want early access? Drop us a line at julia@light-cloud.com
Following our journey? light-cloud.com
Related reading
- Next Round I'm Bringing My Own Knives. Watch Me Cook.
- The Metrics We Actually Track at Pre-Seed
- Security When You're a Two-Person Infrastructure Company
This article first appeared on the Light Cloud Blog: https://blog.light-cloud.com/startup/light-cloud-joins-google-for-startps-program.