Google is inviting startups based in the Philippines to join its latest accelerator program for startups in Southeast Asia and Pakistan, according to an announcement.
The chosen Philippine startups will join 10-15 startups based in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam for the three-month virtual program, called the Google Startups Accelerator.
The program is designed for high-potential seed to Series A tech startups that could help solve the tech challenges in the region, Google said. The program provides startups with Google resources – people, network and technologies to help them on their journeys.
“As part of this program, selected founders outline the top challenges facing their startups, and are then paired with relevant experts from Google and the industry to solve those challenges,” Google said.
Philippine startups that have graduated from Google’s Accelerator program include Advance, a credit platform that provides short-term salary advances for Filipino employees, and Rumarocket, a startup that has built an AI tool that helps companies make hiring decisions using behavioural science.
In an earlier blog, Google said Southeast Asia’s startups have helped build a thriving internet economy and now have an equally important role to play in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Southeast Asia has also seen 80 million new users coming online since March 2020, boosting activity for startups developing digital products and services across a variety of industries.
Google also noted that in Southeast Asia, deal activity hit a record $11.5 billion in the first half of 2021, while in Pakistan, startups raised $350 million in funding in 2021, five times the amount in 2020.
“Google is excited to nurture this next wave of tech startup founders with the Google for Startups Accelerator (Southeast Asia and Pakistan), particularly those that are focused on e-commerce, finance, healthcare, SME-focused B2B solutions, education, agriculture, and logistics,” it added.