The first group of startups have been selected to receive support from multinational tech company Google via the Brazilian version of their digital entrepreneurship accelerator programme.
The programme, known as Launchpad Accelerator, helps build up startups with equity-free financial support, mentorship and guidance from Google and Silicon Valley experts, along with two weeks of training at Google HQ in California.
Six Brazilian startups have been selected to join the programme, which will last for three months and utilise all of Google’s available services to enhance their businesses.
The São Paulo Campus opened in March 2016 as the first Google startup hub in South America and the sixth worldwide. The hub, installed in Brazil’s tech and financial capital, joins a list of other campuses located in London, Madrid, Seoul, Warsaw and Tel Aviv. The campuses serve as a Coworking spaces, innovation centres and networking platforms.
As an initiative, Google Campuses worldwide created 3,952 jobs in 2017, raising $255,202,000. Since the opening of the São Paulo campus in March 2016, a total of 4,223 jobs have been created, 37% of them going to women.
The Brazilian figurehead of the São Paulo Campus is former SEED manager Andre Barrence who, on assuming the role, outlined his plans to combine his expertise in startups and innovation with previous leadership experience.
Startups were able to sign up to take part in this year’s accelerator programme through online video applications. Among this year’s lucky six were Contentools, Docket, JetBov, Liv Up and Mandaê.
Contentools provides a content marketing platform for developing companies, offering creation, growth and distribution services. In contrast, Docket uses artificial intelligence and programming language to reduce the time spent searching for documents through better data management and analysis.
Among the more unusual of the selected startups is JetBov, a cloud-based management service for the meat producing industry. From the management of cattle, to the areas of land needed for grazing, this can all be managed through the app. Liv Up is a service that delivers natural and healthy frozen meals, comprised of over 100 options, to customers’ doorsteps. And lastly, Mandaê is the first digital platform to provide a logistics service that organises e-commerce orders, facilitating the transport service and the operation on the whole.
In the past, Google Launchpad has worked with some of Brazil’s most successful startups, including fintech Nubank, reported to be valued at over $1 billion. With 2018 set to be a big year for Brazilian startup expansion, entrepreneurial hopes within the six selected startups are pinned on the resources Google can offer to get their businesses off the ground.
