Tag Archives: Launchpad Accelerator

Google expands Launchpad Accelerator to more countries – announces registration for Class 5! Apply now

Launchpad Accelerator gives us an opportunity to work with and empower amazing developers, who are solving major challenges all around the world -- whether it’s streamlining digital commerce across Africa, providing access to multimedia tools that support special needs education, or using AI to simplify business operations like Edge Networks is doing in India.  


In total 26 Indian startups have benefitted from the program till date. Nestaway, Sharechat, DriveZy(previously Justride) have gained tremendously from this program. And we’re delighted to double down on our efforts and opening up applications for the next class of the program to more countries for the first time starting today. Here’s the full list of the new additions:  


  • Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Tanzania, Tunisia & Uganda
  • Asia: Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
  • Europe: Estonia, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus & Russia
  • Latin America: Costa Rica, Panama, Peru & Uruguay


They’ll be joined by our larger list of countries that are already part of the program, including: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam.


The application process for the equity-free program will end on October 2, 2017 at 9AM PST.  Later in the year, the list of selected developers will be invited to the Google Developers Launchpad Space in San Francisco for 2 weeks of all-expense-paid training.


What are the benefits?
The training at Google HQ includes intensive mentoring from 20+ Google teams, and expert mentors from top technology companies and VCs in Silicon Valley. Participants receive equity-free support, credits for Google products, PR support and continue to work closely with Google back in their home country during the 6-month program. Hear from some alumnus about their experiences here.


What do we look for when selecting startups?
Each startup that applies to the Launchpad Accelerator is considered holistically and with great care. Below are general guidelines behind our process to help you understand what we look for in our candidates.


All startups in the program must:
  • Be a technological startup.
  • Be targeting their local markets.
  • Have proven product-market fit (beyond ideation stage).
  • Be based in the countries listed above.


Additionally, we are interested in what kind of startup you are. We also consider:
  • The problem you are trying to solve. How does it create value for users? How are you addressing a real challenge for your home city, country or region?
  • Does your management team have a leadership mindset and the drive to become an influencer?
  • Will you share what you learn in Silicon Valley for the benefit of other startups in your local ecosystem?
  • If you're based outside of these countries, stay tuned, as we expect to add more countries to the program in the future.


We can’t wait to hear from you and see how we can work together to improve your business.

Posted by Roy Glasberg, Global Lead, Launchpad Program & Accelerator


Announcing the six Indian Startups for the fourth class of Launchpad Accelerator

We’re delighted to announce the six finalists from India for the 4th class of Launchpad Accelerator program that  will be joining an inspiring group of startups from all over Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe. With this batch, a total of 26 Indian startups have now become part of the  launchpad accelerator program from India.

The fourth class will kick off on July 17th, 2017 at the Google Developers Launchpad Space in San Francisco with a two weeks all-expense-paid mentorship bootcamp.  This batch of startups will gain from our new curriculum that will help the startups dig deeper into machine learning and AI and help them leverage Google’s latest technologies to scale their apps.

In the six months program, they will undergo intensive mentoring from 20+ teams across Google and mentors from top technology companies and VCs in Silicon Valley. Additionally they will  receive equity-free support and credits for Google products and continue to work closely with Google back in India during the 6-month program.

These startups were shortlisted from hundreds of startups who applied this year based on their unique value proposition and use of latest technologies like machine learning and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to build high impact solutions that are solving for the Indian context, focusing on new internet users and digital India.  They cover optimization of financial services ranging from loans, credit cards, upto date information platform for train journeys, online video platform focussing on content from Indian cinema from South of India to the unique implementation of AI to aid discovery of recipes for cooking.

The list also includes B2B companies that use AI or ML for various applications be it image recognition capabilities to aid medical diagnosis by analysing visual data, providing solutions for talent acquisition and workforce optimization.

Here’s the full list of shortlisted startups from India:

India
EdGE Networks: HR solutions provider powered by Artificial Intelligence
FastFilmz: The Super App for Super Fans of South Indian movies!
IndiaLends: Credit underwriting and analytics platform for unsecured consumer lending
RailYatri: Intelligent, big data platform that leverages crowd-sourced content to help long distance travelers
RecipeBook: Intelligent solutions in food and retail powered by deep learning computer vision
SigTuple: Smart screening solutions powered by data driven intelligence


Posted by Paul Ravindranath G, Program Manager, Google India


Seven Indian startups to join the third edition of the Google’s Launchpad Accelerator program

[Cross posted from Official Google Blog]

Startups to get six months intensive mentorship and  $50,000 in equity-free funding

On-demand wardrobe rentals, furniture and appliances rental service, top tutor help service, a platform for doctors to discuss medical cases with peers from across the country, an Indian word games for adults and kids, a service that allows you to earn money for playing games and a CRM app that helps grow your business through better lead management.
Meet the seven promising startups from India, who will join the third class of Launchpad Accelerator along with startups from Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico Argentina, Colombia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.



These seven startups will join the six month long intensive mentoring program from Google for mid to late stage startups including a two-week all-expenses paid bootcamp that kicks off early next year (January 30, 2017) at Launchpad Space in San Francisco.

The program begins with determining each startup’s critical challenges, in order to deploy precise mentorship, actionable solutions, and Google resources to enable their product/service app to scale. The seven start ups will then get tailored expert guidance from Google engineers, product managers and other mentors from top technology companies and VCs in Silicon Valley.  Additionally, they will receive equity-free support credits for Google products and work closely with Google for six months in their home countries.

Over the last one year, thirteen Indian startups have participated in the program and many have already gained from the program. Nestaway who was part of our first batch from India closed a $30M series C investment. MagicPin that offers deals and discounts for Restaurants, Spas, Salons implemented a progressive web app that has helped them to drive over 10% of their total daily transactions. Mobile social gaming startup PlaySimple just raised Series A funding of $4 million and they are now focussing on expanding their offerings. And most recently, JustRide, a startup that allows customers to rent out cars raised about $3 million funding from global investors.

We are delighted to help Indian startups in their journey and help them to scale and find success in their endeavors. Access to good mentoring and advice at early to mid stage can make a meaningful difference. Amarendra Sahu Co-founder of Nestaway from India, shares that, “Launchpad accelerator program made us believe that even we could build a world class product and the mentors helped us to understand what was needed to get there. We have recently asked for follow-on engagement with mentors. If you’re a startup who believes in changing the world through tech product then this is the program for you.”

If you’re interested in applying for future Launchpad Accelerator classes, we encourage you to follow us on the Launchpad Accelerator site or https://twitter.com/googledevs to receive updates.

Posted by Paul Ravindranath G, Program Manager, Launchpad Accelerator



Google’s Launchpad Accelerator successfully takes off. Apply to join the June class

[Cross posted from Official Android Developer’s Blog]

Last month, 24 promising startups from India, Indonesia, and Brazil came to Silicon Valley to participate in Google’s Launchpad Accelerator, a new program that provides late-stage startups (mobile apps) with mentoring and resources to successfully scale in their local economies.


During the intensive two-week Accelerator kickoff in our Mountain View headquarters, Google engineers from 11 product areas, as well as experts from other companies, were on hand to provide startups with mentorship on how to scale and monetize their apps, and ultimately, build successful businesses. Now back in their home countries, the teams will continue developing their products with the support of up to $50,000 in equity-free funding, six more months of ongoing mentorship, and a breadth of developer tools from the Launchpad Accelerator program.

So far, many startup participants have already seen an immediate impact. Two weeks after attending the kickoff event, Brazilian mobile game developer UpBeat Games was featured on Google Play and saw a 1,000% increase in app installations in Asia, as well as a 200% overall increase in active users, by leveraging analytics to better understand their users.


According to UpBeat Games founder Vinicius Heimbeck, “By working one-on-one with the mentors, we learned that we needed to be a data-driven company. We now have the right analytics tools to measure the results of our efforts and to learn from them to optimize the user experience. This all directly impacted our huge success once we were featured on Google Play.”

eFishery, an Indonesian startup that produces smart automated fish feeders, turned its focus on scaling since attending Launchpad Accelerator. “The mentors gave us great insight about how to build a scalable product and how to engage billions of users,” said co-founder and CEO Gibran Chuzaefah Amsi El Farizy. “We received both technical and practical advice on our business, from building back-end technology to embracing failure with the right mindset.”

Apply now for Launchpad Accelerator
We are also excited to announce the second class for Launchpad Accelerator which will begin in June 2016.

If you are a startup from India, Indonesia, Brazil, or Mexico (a new addition!) and are interested in participating in the next wave, we encourage you to apply here by March 31. We expect to continue adding more countries to the program in the future, so be on the lookout!

Posted by Roy Glasberg Global Lead, Launchpad Program & Accelerator