John Momban
TechInAfrica – AfricaCOM is the place you will find some of the best minds in technology, media, and communication industries. It is also the place Google announced their new initiative for startup businesses in Africa. Launchpad is a global mentoring program created by Google that is aimed at building startups. The program helps entrepreneurs scale great products by matching them with the best resources from Google including their people, network, and advanced technology. It has been launched several times, and there are success stories that show the world that the program helps people.
During the announcement, Google said that the Launchpad Accelerator Program was going to operate in Lagos from the new Google Launchpad space. It is the first onsite location outside the US. The program aims at providing African startups with equity-free support of over 3 million dollars, working space, as well as access to experts from Google, Africa, and Silicon Valley. Those who participate in the program will also receive travel and public relations support for the entire duration.
The Google residency program is expected to last for three months.
There are over a thousand mentors and hundreds of investors and partners in the program who deliver one-on- one mentorship since the time the program was launched to date. Through the program, entrepreneurs will gain knowledge, advice, connections and do a lot of business. Most startups usually fail within the first few months. However, the aim of the program is to reduce the number of companies that go under by educating entrepreneurs on the common challenges experienced by startups and how to combat them. The entrepreneurs also get funding to keep their businesses unning and mentors to guide them on the right path to success. The mentors are experts in their fields and have experience with startup businesses. The advice they give has been tested and is tailor fit for every type of business, and they have mentored entrepreneurs with startup companies that have ended up being successful.
Those who participate in the program will have the chance to learn new ways to do their business and how to scale it to perform better. Applications are being received from several African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa among others. Applicants are required to have a technological startup business based in Sub-Saharan Africa for them to qualify. Applicants should also have raised seed funding for the usiness, and the target should be the African Market.
