Google's latest Accelerator Launchpad includes 10 Asian companies
Google’s next “Launchpad” phase is set to begin, with 10 out of the 24 new entrants coming from Asia.
The launchpad accelerator programme is a six-month scheme launched by Google in 2016 which takes promising early-state start-ups from developing markets and offers a programme of mentoring, including a free two-week train course at the company’s headquarters in Silicon Valley.
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Four of the chosen companies are from India, including: BabyChakra, a parenting and pregnancy app, m.Paani, a marketing app which uses loyalty schemes and offers to provide insights to brands; Nirami, a software-based diagnostic system for breast cancer; and SocialCops, a data analytics service to help government and non-profit organisations make decisions based on available data.
There is also a B2B and B2C financial service developer for underbanked communities from the Phillippines.
Indonesia’s offering is a meal subscription service, Kulina. From Bangladesh is a crowdsourcing question and answer app called Maya Apa which deals with anonymous questions on serious topics like the law and healthcare.
From Vietnam comes Monkey Junior, an online language, maths and science course provider for children. Thailand offers Pricesa, a price comparison app and search engine for online shoppers, and from Pakistan comes VividTech, which aims to replace the “hold” muzak on telephones with interactive and visual experiences.
