Google on Tuesday announced the fourth batch of its Google for Startups Accelerator program with 20 startups who will receive three months of support from the network of internal and external mentors in India.
The 20 Indian startups include Antwak, BharatAri, BlackLight Games, Decoder, Factors.ai, Foxy.in, Gram Powder, InnerHour, Leher, Lokal, Math Buddy, Mera Cashier, Mosaic Wellness, myHQ, Navia Life Care, Orowealth, Virohan, Wellthy Therapeutics, Womaniya, and Zee Auto.
The fourth GFS Accelerator program has doubled its batch size from 10 to 20 startups and expanded the scope of the program, to include startups that are using cutting-edge technology to help India and the world adapt and move forward from the pandemic.
It comprises startups from key categories that require urgent innovation, such as workplace collaboration and connection tools, mental health and wellness, health-tech, fin-tech and agritech.
GFS Accelerator’s mission is more important in the present times when this ecosystem faces unprecedented odds. We aim to focus single-mindedly on helping startups tide over the next 18-24 months, when the effects of the pandemic will be felt the strongest, Paul Ravindranath G, programme manager, GFS Accelerator, Google India, said.
The support ranges from access to Google teams, tech guidance on projects, machine learning related support, user experience and design mentorship, leadership workshops, networking opportunities at industry engagements, PR support and more.
Since 2015, GFS Accelerator has supported over 60 startups, which have collectively raised over $700 million in funding and played a key role in making India the second largest startup ecosystem in the world.
Since the start of the year, over 500 startups have benefited from mentorships and webinar content specially created by Google mentors and collaborators.
Earlier, Google for Startups joined forces with its mentors and ecosystem collaborators to launch Emerging Stronger: Playbook for Startups to face the Covid-19 Challenge, a guide accessible widely to startups all over the country, comprising actionable tips for reducing burn and lengthening runway during the pandemic.