Google has announced the selection of 11 start-ups for its second Launchpad Accelerator Africa class as part of its ongoing efforts to support entrepreneurship on the continent.
Google said it planned to train 60 start-ups in three years as part of Launchpad Accelerator Africa Programme in the end.
The Head, Start-up Success and Services, Launchpad Africa, Fola Olatunji-David, made this known while speaking at the kick-off of the Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa Class 2 in Lagos on Monday.
The global content provider said that the first Launchpad Accelerator Africa class saw 12 start-ups graduate, with more than 20 teams from Google and 40 mentors from nine countries supporting them.
It added that the start-ups created 132 direct jobs, raised over $7m in funding and that approximately 4.5 million people were using their products.
Olatunji-David said though the programme did not operate on a quota system, about 10 to 12 start-ups were selected per class based on their relevance and contribution to the economy.
He stated that the programme would not be a one-off event, adding that the plan was to train about 60 start-ups by 2020.
He said, “Each time we open applications, we usually get about 250 applications. We adopt a merit-based step-wise process for reviewing the applications internally and we select the start-ups that solve real problems from different sectors/industries across Africa.
“These start-ups must be ones that have identified real problems and have started solving the problems but just need a bit of support to move to the next level. So we did this by reviewing the application on how we can help them, how they can help the continent, and understanding their technology needs.”
Olatunji-David described the programme as a mentorship programme where Google connects start-ups to technology, mentors, resources, etc.
