06Feb

Google Launchpad for Indian Startups

February 6, 2015 by

Todd-Crosland-Startup-Google-LaunchpadGoogle recently tested its startup mentorship program in Israel and is now shifting its focus to Indian startups. Due to the developing interest in Indian startups, Google has decided to implement its startup program, Launchpad, in India. Monday was the start of the first of four weeks long programs. So far, Launchpad has a shortlist of 20 startups and 1,450 venture capitalists to fund the projects. Most of these companies are in the education and healthcare industries Representatives from Google and other companies will mentor and coach developing startups looking to grow.

This will be beneficial for Google for investment purposes in the future as well as emerging itself in the bolstering digital economy in India. Google Ventures has already invested in a real estate customer support tool, Commonfloor and Freshdesk.

Launchpad is set to mentor close to 100 companies in India. Launchpad started in Israel three years ago, and is currently in 20 different cities around the world. As the digital economy grows, so does Google because companies spend money on Google to obtain a larger customer base. Last year, Google increased online advertising spent by e-commerce companies by 47% year-on-year.

All companies that Google aids in their startup program will be consolidated under Launchpad. Google’s Launchpad is seen as a platform to train developers on how to turn their product into a startup company. While most of Launchpad’s activities will be focused in Bengaluru, Google’s startup mentorship program plans to situate itself in 50 different cities all over India.

Google is not the only company entering India’s digital economy. A couple of months ago, Microsoft launched their business accelerator program Microsoft Ventures in India. From 2013, venture capital funding in India is up 261% or $3.86 billion. Venture capital companies form all over the world are intrigued by India’s bolstering digital economy, as Japan’s Softbank plans to invest $10 billion in India’s startup industry.

05Sep

Impressive Startups in Emerging Markets

September 5, 2014 by

Todd Crosland startup global entrepreneurshipForbes recently came out with a group of new tech startups that have the edge in their own perspective emerging markets. Seedstars World, an affiliate venture capital firm to Seedstars, created this list of emerging markets and dominating startups associated with these markets. There were 19 startup companies mentioned in the article in varying emerging markets.

The first emerging market mentioned is the fast-growing finance infrastructure market. The two startups mentioned for this industry were Accra and Remit.ug. Accra is a Ghana based startup that is developing an online payment platform based on Bitcoins. Remit.ug, based out of Uganda, is building a money transfer platform that allows people from all over the globe to transfer money to people in Africa with a simple click of a button.

The mobile is the next emerging market written about in the article. Many new startups are developing mobile at the beginning of their development stages now that mobile has fully developed as an emerging market. The startups mentioned in this emerging market were Blocks, ChannelKit, Manads, OkHi, StudyPact, and Krowdpop. Blocks is a Tehran based startup that developed their own smartwatch. ChannelKit, from Moscow, is Pinterest for links. Manads is based out of Baku, Azerbaijan and developed advertising for after call screens. OkHi, based out of Nairobi, is developing physical addresses for every cell phone. StudyPact is a Tokyo-based startup that pays students for meeting their study goals, while charging them for not reaching their study goals. Krowdpop is a crowdfunding platform for pop music in South Korea.

Another emerging market in the discussion is mobile delivering services. These services make it easier for the consumer to obtain a good or service by just using their cell phone. Washbox24 is based out of Bangkok, and they use communal locker locations as drop-off points for customer’s laundry.

Fixing world-class issues is another emerging market that multiple startup companies are focusing on. These companies are replacing old technology with new technology to fix the bigger problems facing certain environments. The startups in this category are Khusela, KinTrans, myVLE, and Green Energy. Khusela is based out of Cape Town and is developing a low-budget fire alarm system for slum environemnts. KinTrans, based out of Dubai, is working on their platform that translates sign language in real time, into voice and text. MyVLE, in Casablanca, is an online learning platform that uses SasS. Green Energy, in Nigeria, is developing the process that transforms solid waste into electrical energy and petroleum.

E-commerce is the final emerging market discussed in the article. With fast-growing economies, e-commerce is necessary for fast paced production. The startups for this category include Prisync, Triip, Scandid, Freesheh, Poeyek, and TorQue Workspace. Prisync, based out of Istanbul, is a b-to-b company that offers pricing analytics and tracking. Based out of Ho Chi Mihn, Triip is is a crowdsourcing platform for tours. Scandid, based out of Bangalore, allows its users to compare barcodes using their app. Feesheh is based out of Amman and allows its users to shop online for musical instruments. Poeyek, based out of Darkar, is developing a business management platform for small businesses. TorQue Workspace is a software company based out of Rwanda creating a platform to help wholesalers manage their distribution.

All 19 of these companies are developing their technologies in these emerging markets to hopefully obtain the global edge over their competitors.