If you are a top seed stage startup or building the next big thing in the African space, the Google Launchpad Accelerator programme is for you. The LaunchPad Accelerator is a regional mentoring programme that enables seed-stage startups to thrive globally through mentorship, training and partnerships offered by Google.
Launchpad Accelerator Africa was announced at Google for Nigeria 2017 event by Google CEO, Sundar Pichai. The programme graduated its first class of participating startups last year, connecting them to expert teams and mentors across the world, plus an equity-free cash grant of $10,000. Some of the beneficiaries include Okadabooks, PiggyBank, Tango TV, amongst others.
Registration for the next set of Google Launchpad Africa Startups is open, and local business owners and entrepreneurs are advised to apply. Participating in LaunchPad will grant the startups access to Google’s technological resources and its network of experts, and also increase their visibility to a global pedestal.
Eligibility
The LaunchPad Africa is open to African startups located in Algeria, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The startups should also belong to the technology sector and seek to solve a challenge in their local environment or in the African space.
Google considers the practicability of the solution offered by the startup and how it creates value for the society.
Benefits
Some of the benefits of participating in the LaunchPad programme include:
- Equity-free cash grant.
- Access to Google engineering teams and training from a global team of mentors.
- Access to Silicon Valley experts.
- Training in public relations.
- Three months of intensive partnership and training with Google.
Application
The application requires details of your startup on these 5 frontiers: people, growth, product, technology, and design.
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It says applications have closed already. When was the deadline Please?