It seems Google wants all startups to progress and grow. It has opened up a new startup office in San Francisco with more than 14,000 square feet of office space. The new office space will be available to all the participants of the company’s Launchpad Accelerator Program, through which it intends to provide its expertise to startups.
Roy Glasberg, Global Lead of Launchpad Accelerator, wrote in a blog post, “We’re heading to the city of San Francisco this September to open a new space for developers and startups. With over 14,000 square feets at 301 Howard Street, we’ll have more than enough elbow room to train, educate and collaborate with local and international developers and startups.” The new office is expected to open next month.
This step is a big boost for startups as it comes at a time when investors are vary of market conditions, and financial investment is not easily available. The new office will serve as a bridge between startup companies and Silicon Valley to better understand the challenges and share resources with each other.
Google will host multiple events at its new office, such as Tech Talks, Design Spirits, Google Developer Community Meetup, and Codelabs. Initially, the Launchpad Accelerator Program was of six months, but the company has now cut it down to three months only. The program includes a two-week trip to Google’s headquarters as well.
After the program, the startup teams will return to their respective locations, but the situation may vary as per the requirements of the startup. The third part of the program will see 20 Google teams providing their expertise to startups to help them become local leaders in their field.
The Launchpad Accelerator Program was launched by the company last year. It includes startups from developing countries, such as India, Mexico, and Brazil. Startups are called back to Mountain View by Google to meet and motivate them and start a networking process which will help them in the future.
Currently there are 50 alumni startups of the program who are working on “critical local problems” in their respective countries. Google provides them with its resources as many startups do not have access to even basic needs in their country. With Google’s help, they are able to come up with better products and services to serve their markets.
Apart from the resources, Google provides financial assistance to these companies as well; a fund of $250,000, out of which $50,000 is reserved for seed funding. While the program is only available in four countries, Google has plans to make it available in other countries as well in the future. If the Launchpad continues to grow, Google might even open new offices in other countries.
