MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 04/21/2026 — Nerdery announced today that it has received the 2026 Google Cloud Partner of the Year Award in the Services and Industry Solutions: Education category. Nerdery is being recognized for its achievements in the Google Cloud ecosystem, helping joint customers move from theoretical AI exploration to resilient, campus-ready tools that deliver tangible value to students and faculty alike.
“The Google Cloud Partner Awards honor the strategic innovation and measurable value our partners bring to customers,” said Kevin Ichhpurani, President, Global Partner Ecosystem and Channels, Google Cloud. “We are proud to name Nerdery a 2026 Google Cloud Partner Award winner, celebrating their role in driving customer success over the last year.”
By partnering directly with Google’s Rapid Innovation Team (RIT), Nerdery developed the Virtual Teacher’s Assistant (VTA), a Gemini-powered conversational tutor built on a content-agnostic framework. This architecture allows institutions to rapidly deploy secure, course-grounded AI support across different subjects and global campuses without compromising academic integrity or data privacy.
“Our goal is to deliver tangible value through AI that works at scale,” said Michael Schmidt, CEO at Nerdery. “With a 4.6-star student rating and high end-of-term retention, we’ve demonstrated that a well-architected AI assistant provides the reliable, 24/7 support that modern universities require.”
The 2026 award follows a year of tangible impact where Nerdery’s approach delivered real results for major higher education institutions. By achieving a 100% question-response rate in a massive state-wide pilot and 75% student retention rate through the end of the semester at a top-tier research university, we have proven that course-grounded AI can be both reliable and highly engaging at scale.
ABOUT NERDERY
Nerdery is a digital consultancy with over 20 years of experience delivering transformative solutions powered by data, AI, and cloud technology. Our team of 150+ U.S. based experts, alongside near-shore partners, includes data scientists, engineers, and strategists dedicated to crafting impactful solutions.
As a Premier Google Cloud partner, we leverage Google technology to craft innovative products, platforms, and strategies that drive measurable impact. With deep roots in the public sector — Nerdery helps agencies uncover the ‘art of the possible’ and deliver with confidence within regulatory environments.
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