Google’s Autumn Adopt A Startup Programme Opens Up for Irish Applicants

Irish start-ups are being encouraged by Google to apply for its Autumn Adopt A Startup programme which opened for applicants today. Google will ‘adopt’ 30 startups for 12 weeks who will receive hands-on mentoring from some of Ireland’s most experienced industry experts, in addition to attending a series of exclusive lectures designed to help startups grow their companies on a global scale.  The 30 start-ups in the 2018 Autumn programme will be made up of  25 Irish startups and the five category winners of the European Digital Top 50 competition.

At the end of the 12 weeks, eight companies will pitch to a panel of senior Google executives and industry experts, with the winning company receiving €10,000 in AdWords credit and eligibility for the Google Cloud Platform for startups which comes with $100,000 in Google Cloud credit. Seven other startups will also be eligible for the Google Cloud programme, receiving $20,000 in Google Cloud credit.

Paddy Flynn, Director at Google said: “Google’s Adopt A Startup programme brings together some of Ireland’s best and brightest entrepreneurs who are making a real difference to Ireland’s start-up community through their innovative and vibrant ideas. This next cycle, they will be joined by five European startups and it will be really interesting to see what learnings and experiences they will share with each other.

“We will be carefully handpicking the startups to participate in what is an intensive programme.  The chosen entrepreneurs will be ambitious for success and will have the potential to scale their business globally, as we have seen in the past with some of our alumni. They will also receive expert help from our mentors who have the skills and knowledge of the digital ecosystem. which are vital to ensure that Irish startups are staying ahead on a global level, not just a local one”.

Startups are being urged to get their entries in early as only 25 places are up for grabs, with applications closing on August 24th. Successful companies chosen to participate in the Adopt A Startup programme will be announced on September 13th

Kildare based company Terra Liquid Minerals, which provide a fully serviced, smart liquid mineral injection system for herds took the crown in the 2018 Spring edition of the programme in a dragon’s den style final which was held in Google’s EMEA Headquarters in Dublin.

Speaking about winning Google’s Adopt A Startup programme,  Padraig Hennessy, Managing Director, Terra Liquid Minerals said “The insights we gained while attending Google’s  Adopt A Startup programme far exceeded our expectations. From design thinking to optimising websites and using tools which are freely available has helped us achieve our organisational goals. The help, support and encouragement we received from Google, the program leaders and our team, has helped us grow the businesses. I know we will continue using the lessons learned and the data gathered to make a difference to our business as we continue our expansion.

Paddy Flynn added: “Through this programme we are supporting the startup community in Ireland and are also helping some European based start-ups by providing mentorship at a critical point in the development of these companies so that they grow, create additional employment and become successful in their businesses.  We firmly believe that entrepreneurship is a career in its own right and we want to encourage a thriving ecosystem that supports our entrepreneurs so that more people choose this path. ”

Startups interested in applying for the programme can apply online at https://events.withgoogle.com/adoptastartup/