In January, Google began Launchpad Accelerator, a program to identify startups building mobile apps in emerging markets then flood them with cash and support.
Google is expanding its global accelerator, yet another of its startup funding programs
The Launchpad Accelerator adds Mexico to the mobile mix.
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Now Google’s taking on round two. Twenty-four more companies are joining the program from Brazil, Indonesia, India and, for the first time, Mexico. The startups get six months of coaching, office space and funding (up to $50,000, equity-free). In exchange, Google gets its fingers on the pulse of markets that are exploding with mobile users — with revenues waiting to catch up.
With the Accelerator, Google is making a point to find less adolescent companies. “We take very successful startups and turn them into successful companies,” said Roy Glasberg, the program’s lead.
Don’t confuse this with GV (Google Ventures) or Google Capital, which back later-stage startups for returns (and similarly give access to Google’s organizational bounty).
Glasberg said Google is running the Accelerator to boost companies “solving real problems.” The first batch had some success already: NestAway, a home rental company in India, raised a $30 million round in April.
Another benefit for Google: It’s a way to get growing companies onto Google products. Startups in the Accelerator receive credits for Google’s cloud storage service, a priority for the search company. And given their countries, the mobile companies focus on earning money on Google’s Android and Play store.
I asked Glasberg what sets these startups apart from ones in Silicon Valley. “It’s a really clear focus on where money is going to come from,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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