Google Applications For Launchpad Accelerator Africa Closes July 8
By Joshua Olaleye
On July eight, Google’s ‘Launchpad Accelerator Africa program application for class two would close on July 8, 2018.
However, Google said that it is extending the program to include startups from 12 African countries. This means it is now accepting applications from startups in 18 countries across the continent including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Cameroon, Botswana, Sénégal, Ethiopia, Cote d’Ivoire, Algeria and the existing six – Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda .
Google is committed to the Sub-Saharan Africa developer ecosystem and has, since April 2016, hosted 13 Launchpad Build and Start events across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, featuring some 228 speakers and engaging 590 attendees from local startups in each country.
To qualify, for the application, startups have to be a technology startup, based in Sub-Saharan Africa, targeting the African market, and have raised seed funding. Google additionally considers the problem the startup is trying to solve, how it creates value for users, and how it addresses a real challenge for its home city, country or Africa broadly.
Launchpad Accelerator Africa was announced last year by Google CEO, Mr Sundar Pichai at ‘Google for Nigeria on 27 July’ event.
Said he: “Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa programme will provide African startups with over $3 million in equity-free support, working space, and access to expert advisers from Google, Silicon Valley, and Africa over the next three years. Participants receive travel and PR support during each three-month program”.
Head of startup success and services, Launchpad Accelerator Africa, Google, Folagbade Olatunji-david added that the three month programme held recently connected 12 participating startups with more than 20 teams from Google as well as 40 mentors from nine countries including India, the UK, USA and Jamaica. Each has received $10 000 in an equity-free cash grant, and between them they have raised over $7 million. The startups have directly created 132 jobs and impacted 4.5 million users.
