Google is trying to win the heart of startups, both internationally and in the bay area.
The search giant said on Thursday that it would open office space in San Francisco for participants of its so-called Launchpad Accelerator program for international startups, which is intended to provide help to new companies in areas in the world where access to financial investment or business development resources is scarce.
The new, 14,000-square-foot space, which will open in September, is near Google’s (GOOG) main San Francisco office. It will also host community meet ups, technical talks, and other events geared toward local developers.
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Currently, startups from Sao Paulo, Bangalore, Jakarta, and Mexico City are participating in the program, but Google said it plans to expand the program to cities in other developing areas in the future.
Google did not reveal much information on which international startups will get access to the new office space. Additionally, the program was originally 6 months long when it debuted in January, but the company has trimmed it in half to 3 months, according to a Google spokesperson.
So far, it’s not determined if international startups can stay at the office once the program concludes, Google said. Typically participating startups would return to their respective countries after spending two weeks at Google’s Mountain View office, but it’s on a “case by case basis based on the startups’ needs,” said the spokesperson.
The search giant said Launchpad Accelerator participants get mentoring from Google employees, a two-week training bootcamp at Google’s Mountain View headquarters, equity-free funding, and free credits for Google’s cloud-computing services.
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“Lastly, this is an unique opportunity to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and emerging markets,” wrote Launchpad Accelerator global lead Roy Glasberg in a blog post. “To date Launchpad Accelerator has nearly 50 alumni in India, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico.”
Both Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) have also opened similar offices in San Francisco designed to cater to local developers. These office spaces are intended to appeal to the interests of coders by hosting meetings, training sessions, and other events. Besides being a way to promote each company’s respective cloud computing services to startups, they also act as a scouting ground for talent or startups worth investing in.
Last summer, Amazon also opened a New York office intended to attract developers.
