Google will open a new startup accelerator in San Francisco

Google will open a new startup accelerator in San Francisco


 

Google will set up at 14,000-square-foot site for developers and startups in San Francisco as the race between tech accelerators for top international talent heats up.

The site will open in September and will host Google’s Launchpad Accelerator, a three-month program for startups from emerging markets that begins with a two- week “bootcamp” at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Google said in a statement late Thursday.

It will use the South Financial District site to showcase events, including Tech Talks, Design Sprints, Codelabs and Google Developer Group Community meetings. Dropcam, which Google acquired in 2014, has already been using some office space at the site, as well.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)’s Launchpad until now was centered in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Bangalore, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Mexico City, Mexico. It has graduated close to 50 alumni from these emerging markets.

“Developers are in an ever-changing landscape and seek technical training. We’ve also seen a huge surge in the number of developers starting their own companies,” Google said in its statement.“Lastly, this is an unique opportunity to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and emerging markets.”

The new site at 301 Howard Street is only a couple blocks from Google’s main San Francisco office at the Hills Plaza complex, the former home of Hills Bros. Coffee, and adds to a suite of other accelerators setting up shop in the area.

“It’s worth noting that Amazon’s AWS unit also runs a similar space on Market Street in San Francisco where it, too, offers training and one-on-one help,”TechCrunch reports.“Similarly, Microsoft’s Reactor space in San Francisco is also open to developers who want to know more about its cloud services, platforms and devices.”

Google will set up at 14,000 square foot site for developers and startups at 301 Howard Street in San Francisco.