Google Launchpad to provide over $3m to more than 60 African startups – CEO

Google will provide more than $3-million in equity-free funding, mentorship, working space and access to expert advisers to more than 60 African startups over three years, the company’s CEO Sundar Pichai said in Lagos, Nigeria yesterday.

Pichai said the initiative will be based on Google’s global Launchpad Accelerator programme. He added that intensive three-month programmes, held twice per year, will run out of a new Google Launchpad Space in Lagos — the first time the programme will be located outside of the US.

In addition he announced that Google’s charitable arm, Google.org, is committing $20-million over the next five years to non-profits that are working to improve lives across Africa.

He said Google will give $2.5-million in initial grants to the non-profit arms of African startups Gidi Mobile and Siyavula to provide free access to learning for 400 000 low-income students in South Africa and Nigeria. The grantees will also develop new digital learning materials that will be free for anyone to use.

Google to set up first Launchpad accelerator outside US in Lagos

In May Google announced that four Nigerian startups and one startup each from Kenya and South Africa would join 27 other startups for two weeks for the 4th class of Google’s Launchpad Accelerator which is expected to end today.

Read more: Google Launchpad Accelerator announces six African startup for fourth class

Featured image: PestoVerde via Flickr (CC 2.0 BY-SA, resized)