Google announces seven startups selected for its Launchpad Accelerator program

Google has announced the seven startups from India that will be a part of the search giant’s third edition of Launchpad Accelerator. This will make them a part of the six month long intensive mentoring program from Google that has been crafted for mid- to late-stage startups. It will also include a two-week all-expenses paid bootcamp that starts on 30 Jan 2017 at Launchpad Space in San Francisco. The list includes  furniture rental startup RentoMojo, online learning HashLearn, wardrobe rentals service Flyrobe, the  Kapture Mobile CRM app that helps businesses to do better lead management, a platform for doctors to discuss medical cases called Curofy, a desi word game Jalebi and Playment that lets you earn money for playing games. They will be joining other startups from Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Geetansh Bamania, CEO & Founder, RentoMojo tells Tech2, “To be considered for Google developers launchpad accelerator program is a great honor and a privilege, would like to thank Google for giving us this opportunity. It will be a great exposure for us at Rentomojo to listen to some of the valley veterans and take that learning only to adapt and customize our offerings to Indian markets. Its a testament to the fact that we are building something innovative that has a global recall.” The program will start by determining each startup’s critical challenges. This will help deploy precise mentorship, actionable solutions, and Google resources to help that particular service scale. All seven startups will then get expert guidance from Google engineers, product managers and other mentors from tech firms and VCs from Silicon Valley. Paul Ravindranath G, Program Manager, Launchpad Accelerator said, “We are delighted to help Indian startups in their journey and help them to scale and find success in their endeavours. Access to good mentoring and advice at early to mid -stage can make a meaningful difference. Over the last one year, thirteen Indian startups have participated in the program and many have already gained from the program and have successfully raised funding. 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. We hope the next batch will continue to find value in the program and help them to succeed.” They will also receive equity-free support credits for Google products and can work closely with the Search giant for six months in their home countries. In addition, each startup will get $50,000 in equity-free funding.