Nigerian, Ghanaian Startups Shortlisted For Google Fintech Program
For a global fintech program organized by Google, startups from Nigeria and Ghana have been selected as part of the 10 cohorts to participate in the finance scheme under the auspices of Google Launchpad Studio.
Launchpad Studio is an acceleration program engineered by giant tech Google, held for global startups at the echelon of their business affairs. The program is expected to convene founders and have them synergize with Google and Alphabet product teams as well as experts to tackle specific technical challenges. These startups are also expected to upheave the growth rate of their businesses with the aid of machine learning.
Of the 10 startups selected for the finance-focused program, Ghanaian identity verification company Inclusive and German-based Frontier Car Group, are the most prominent for West Africa. Frontier Car Group is also an investor in Nigerian used car marketplace Cars45.
Startups from the United States, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom also make the cut. Each of them will be paired with a Google product manager to boost their product development, working hand-in-hand with Google’s machine learning research and development teams.
Launchpad Studio is in the provisions of one-on-one mentorship, access to the Google community, network, thought, leadership and technology.
On the sidelines of this development, Rich Hyndman, the global tech leader at Google Launchpad, disclosed that the startups have been invited from nine countries and four continents for a discussion – how machine learning can be utilized for financial inclusion, non-fluctuating currencies, and identification services.
He also informed that the startups will be defining machine language and blockchain, as well as how they will be bolstering efforts to include all and sundry and ensure greater prosperity for them.