32 Startups selected to participate in Google’s Adopt a Startup Programme

Google’s Adopt a Startup programme will be bigger than ever this year with 32 Startups from Ireland and other countries in Europe participating in the programme and competing to be selected as the leading Startup and win a €10,000 Adwords grant from Google.  This is the first year that Startups from other European countries will participate in Google’s Adopt a Startup Programme.

Now in its third year, the success of the programme has seen past winners Foodcloud and Jobbio go from strength to strength, growing their profiles and expanding their businesses online.

Launching Adopt a Startup 2015,  Paddy Flynn, Head of Google Ireland’s Startup Programme  said, “We have expanded Adopt a Startup every year and this year our Startups reflect the vibrancy of the scene not only in Ireland but in other countries in Europe.  Through Adopt a Startup we are giving entrepreneurs every opportunity to succeed in the digital marketplace by working with Google experts and sharing their experiences with their fellow Startups”. 

Startups from Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Denmark have been selected to participate in this year’s 12 week mentoring Programme (Editor’s note 1). Each Startup will be assigned a dedicated Google Support Team which will provide specialist advice and mentoring to them throughout the programme.  In addition, the Startups will attend a series of lectures in the Foundry at Google.  Startups will meet their Google Support teams multiple times throughout the 12 weeks to discuss lecture content and digital strategies for their organisations.

Every Startup has the opportunity to present their developed digital strategies to members of the Google Management team. Based on these presentations, eight Startups will be selected to present at the International Final on December 1st, 2015 in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style event.

“Our Google Start-up team were very supportive and spent a lot of time learning about the work we do. They worked with us to develop a digital marketing strategy that would help us to raise awareness about the work we are doing in Ireland to tackle food waste. It was an amazing opportunity to work with Google and also to meet a lot of great Startups in Dublin”, said Iseult Ward, founder, Foodcloud.

The Adopt a Startup Programme forms part of Google’s commitment to supporting the Startup community in Ireland and the rest of Europe through mentoring events such as Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur, hosting community events with partners like Startup Weekend and Enterprise Ireland and its recently launched partnership with Dogpatch Labs.  Irish Startups also avail of direct support from Google for Entrepreneurs programs in Dublin, London and the US.