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Google has invited applications for third edition of its Launchpad Accelerator Program with an aim to support tech startups scale up and find solutions to the challenges they are facing.

The six-month acceleration program will be held at newly opened Google Developers Space at San Francisco. It is specially focusing on startups with late-stage app in emerging markets, namely, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Mexico. Google quotes the well established base for startup activities as the reason these countries were chosen. The startups applying for the program should have proven market fit, essentially beyond the ideation stage with an objective to solve a real life problem.

The Accelerator is part of Google Developers Launchpad, Google Developers’ central tech startup program. Launchpad is focused on helping startups at any stage to design, develop and distribute their innovation. It will provide them mentorship and access to Google Product Managers, a startup package of equity-free support, product credits and access to their full suite of Launchpad initiatives and connections.

The equity-free program will begin on January 30, 2017. During each class, over 20 Google teams will provide comprehensive mentoring to the candidates. Selected startups will continue to receive access to Google’s expertise and resources for six months. The key players in the initiative are startups, top-of-the-line experts from Google as well as top global mentors and partners. These experts and mentors are located primarily in Silicon Valley, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Mexico, and are invited from other places as well.

Roy Glasberg, Global Lead, Launchpad Accelerator, Google said in a statement,

This is a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and emerging markets. To date Launchpad Accelerator has nearly 50 alumni in India, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico. Startups in these markets are tackling critical local problems, but they often lack access to the resources and network we have here. This dedicated space will enable us to regularly engage with developers and serve their evolving needs, whether that is to build a product, grow a company or make revenue.

Launched in 2015, the initiative commences with an all-expenses-paid two weeks boot camp at Google HQ. The applications for Launchpad Accelerator can be submitted till October 24 on its page.

In the first batch of program, the shortlisted startups from India included Doormint, Frankly.me, Holachef, Justride, Murmur, Nestaway and English Dost while its second batch comprised Taskbob, MagicPin, Programming Hub, ShareChat, RedCarpet, and PlaySimple Games among others.

In June, Cisco had also rolled out its LaunchPad Program in India to provide industrial mentoring to developers and startups, based upon their needs. It will provide space at its Bangaluru campus with access to a suite of technologies with a bunch of teams from Cisco working to mentor startups and the developers involved with them.


 

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