A.You can apply even if you only have an app in the Apple App Store. However, you should be planning to build an Android version of your app. Please let us know this information when you fill out the application form.
I guess it was expected that Google would want their tech to take center stage, but why can't they go the BizSpark route and provide resources with no strings attached??
Joking aside, I think it's perfectly reasonable for a company to offer free services and advice with the condition that the development it fosters is in a company-sponsored, open source software.
- Azure credits: Get you tied in/used to/familiar with the platform and services. Sure, you can use just Linux VMs, but Microsoft pushes their integration services pretty heavily.
- Free SQL Server, Windows Server, and Visual Studio. Any of which you use in anger, you're now somewhat tied into those respective platforms.
- Office 365: Just more generic Office-washing, so the assumption continues to be that Outlook/Word/Excel are the only offerings in the space.
Microsoft are just more subtle about it. That's their style. Kind of like giving every school hugely discounted Office products, it might seem altruistic, but really it is to hook them into the Microsoft-way early.
For Google, this may be an attempt to grow the overall internet user base in these countries which may be correlated with increases in GOOG's revenue. It could also be that Google would like to arbitrage ideas from one country and apply these ideas to other countries.
Either way, it's a great deal that there is no-equity-stake financing with access to free consulting via Google PM's. I'd just always recommend people wishing to take this deal to think hard about what's in it for the other party to foresee any possible risks.
> "utilize this mentorship and privileged product access to scale your apps"
> "only mobile app startups in Brazil, India, and Indonesia are eligible"
> "you should be planning to build an Android version of your app."
> "Google Launchpad is Google’s program for startups developing products on Google platforms."
Looks like a play for Google Cloud and Android.
Launchpad Accelerator
Are you a challenger?
guess the copywriters in this department were born after 1986
