The digital technologies revolution has transformed the Indian startup ecosystem and is bringing in an unprecedented level of enthusiasm and aspiration among young people. A new movement spearheaded by Google will launch Startup School, a rigorous training programme for entrepreneurs to help them develop their skillsets and build unparalleled tech startups. In just three years, the initiative will reach 10,000 students across ten small towns in India.
To begin with, the industry will be launched in ten small cities. It will target 1,000 students in each city. In the coming weeks and months, the initiative will expand to other cities and eventually reach India’s whole startup ecosystem. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has said that “We believe this kind of education can be a game-changer for our society. We challenge all schools around India to partner with Google to help develop their students into successful entrepreneurs.
They will receive intensive training from mentors and industry experts through workshops, lectures, mentorship and hands-on experience. Graduates will also get specialised support to expand their startup businesses or join Google’s corporate initiatives. The programme is open to students pursuing their final year of a university course or those who have graduated and are about to launch their first tech startup.
Since February 2016, Google has been hosting a series of entrepreneurship workshops in colleges across India. The objective of the workshops is to educate students on the power of technology and help them realise their entrepreneurial dreams. The initiative has reached around 5,000 students in eight cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Google’s Startup India initiative includes a Student Entrepreneurship Challenge (SEC) in ten cities. The contest is open to college students who can submit entries online through the Google website or Google Search app. The top three winners will have the opportunity to visit Silicon Valley and meet leaders at Google, including Sundar Pichai and Amit Singhal.
The Indian startup ecosystem has seen tremendous growth in recent years.
Startup School India is a novel initiative to train the next crop of entrepreneurs and give them the technical skills needed to build tech startups. The programme will help participants develop their entrepreneurial and professional skills, boosting their confidence, allowing them to become better managers, improve leadership skills and increase their earning potential. It will also help them build a strong network of like-minded entrepreneurs while furthering the economic development of small towns through entrepreneurship.
Google India’s Head of Academics & Entrepreneurship, Rajan Anandan, said, “We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of startups over the last three years, especially in the technology space. This has created a massive opportunity to extend our existing entrepreneurship programmes to help build a world-class tech ecosystem. We are excited to launch Google Startup School India, which will give a leg-up to 10,000 entrepreneurs and technology startups in small cities.
Google Startup School India
Google Startup School India is a six-month course for startup founders who want to build technology ventures in small cities. It will provide hands-on training that equips them with the tools they need to succeed in creating a tech startup.
What will the startup school curriculum cover?
The programme will offer foundational study designed to help students develop the skills they need to build a successful tech startup. These include: The course will be conducted by leading industry experts and founders, who will share their knowledge, experience and insights. The class teachers include Rajan Anandan (Head of Academics & Entrepreneurship) & Vinnie Mehta (CEO of Zomato).
The programme will also organise Shifts for Startups to bring together students from the country for a week-long workshop. They will interact with entrepreneurs and learn more about launching a tech startup. They will also be able to attend lectures, interactive sessions and networking events with industry stalwarts.
As a part of Google’s ongoing commitment to making the internet universally accessible, it has teamed up with state governments, private sector partners and non-profit organisations to expand access in rural and semi-urban areas.
India as a Startup Hub
Google Startup School India as an initiative is a unique collaboration between Google and the Indian government to motivate 10,000 college and university students in cities across India to create technology startups by 2022. This will make a transformational change in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help strengthen national initiatives such as Startup India. Through this programme, Google aims to nurture 10,000 promising entrepreneurs in the next three years while developing ten technology hubs across India.
India’s startup ecosystem has rapidly evolved over the last decade. In 2014, the government of India set up a $1.5 billion fund to promote startups in the country. Funding for startups in India has also increased over time. In 2015, investors put $3 billion into startups; and this increased to nearly $7 billion in 2016.
Startups founded by women and members of India’s historically disadvantaged communities are growing faster than other ventures, and account for more than 30% of total innovation output. India’s startup ecosystem is one of the most vibrant in the world and continues to attract more than its fair share of global capital.
Venture capitalists invested a record $9.6 billion in Indian startups in 2017—four times the amount that went into US startups last year—and the country attracts more venture capital investment than China, Russia and the UK combined. The developments are led by the Indian IT industry, which has invested massively in startups and has built a sizeable domestic market for digital products and services.
Why do we need a Startup School?
India needs to create at least 10,000 new businesses each year. The country is at an early stage of development, and a lot of work needs to be done toward building a solid technology base. This will help make technological solutions available for the common person and make India self-sufficient in terms of technology solutions. It will also make it easier for people to consider starting their businesses and contributing to the country’s economic development through entrepreneurship.
Tech startups (online and offline) are becoming increasingly crucial in India. It is no longer a choice between traditional cities such as Bengaluru and Delhi, but even smaller towns are emerging as innovation hubs. Startup School India is a new initiative by Google to accelerate their startups in these smaller cities, which lack the necessary startup resources, mentoring and expertise. With an emphasis on mentorship provided by industry leaders, experts will guide entrepreneurs.
The innovation ecosystem in India is booming, and it is ranked the third largest startup nation. With the first Startup School to be held in a small town in Tamil Nadu, Google aims to play a significant role in nurturing more startups, enabling companies to thrive in a competitive environment. Startup School India is not only the first initiative of its kind, but it also has the most significant target of 10,000 students who would be trained with resources from Google.
Google launches Startup School, targets 10,000 non-metro entrepreneurs
October 25, Google launched its first-of-its-kind Startup School in India as it continues to work towards cultivating the startup ecosystem in the country. The school will begin with 10 Indian cities and move on to another five cities by the end of 2018. The school will teach aspiring entrepreneurs skills such as technical programming, marketing and social media. Google states that about 20 per cent of the startups built over the next few years will come from such schools.
What is a Startup School?
A startup school is a unique program set to begin in India. The program will teach youth from India and abroad how to start a technology startup. The program will be held at universities across the country, and the students will learn how to code. Students would also be exposed to entrepreneurship, marketing, team building and finance.
The program is set to run for three months, and it will train approximately 5,000 students who would be able to attend with free tuition. This initiative will start in Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata by the end of 2018. Startup School India is a first-of-its-kind program that aims to educate students from non-metro cities about starting a technology startup.
Google’s Startup School India looks to enable 10,000 startups in tier 2,3 cities.
Googlers and Indian government officials will train the 10,000 college students in startup essentials in courses ranging from product development to marketing to entrepreneurship. Google wants innovation hubs that run on solar energy, use recycled water and teach coding and science classes. The company estimates its Indian centres could generate 20% more jobs for India than 1600 already planned for construction.
Google’s Startup School India, to be launched in October 2017, will seek to empower 10,000 young startup founders across 70 non-metro cities. The tech giant is partnering with 70 Indian colleges and universities, 20 industry partners and one lakh grassroots youth entrepreneurs in tier 2 and 3 towns.
The initiative will run in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra this year before being scaled up to the other states, according to reports. The classrooms will be housed on the campuses of partner educational institutions. Google India’s managing director, Rajan Anandan, said the goal is to “get them (startup founders) to think about scale”.
Google India’s Managing Director, Rajan Anandan, said that Google’s Startup School would help create a vast network of mentors from all sectors, including technology, finance and design. He also noted that critical partners such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft would provide tech support and expertise.
The Startup School India is a world-class program that will provide the tools to start new technologies. The Google initiative aims to provide free training to 10,000 budding entrepreneurs in tier 2 and 3 cities. To support its mission of helping entrepreneurs develop their ideas and create jobs, Google is partnering with educational institutions in tier 2 and 3 towns across Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Why is this happening now?
The Startup School India initiative is the latest step in Google’s more significant desire to help nurture entrepreneurship. This ambitious mission has been initiated by Google to help create a startup culture in India by addressing the needs of entrepreneurs across the country. The goal of this program is to train 10,000 new entrepreneurs, which in turn will generate employment opportunities worth over $10 billion.
The Startup School India initiative is the latest step in Google’s greater desire to help build India’s startup ecosystem.
The initiative aims to teach entrepreneurs across the country how to start their tech startups. Startups are a critical part of the Indian economy. Google hopes that the program can energize entrepreneurship in the country by giving students technical skills such as coding, computer programming, app development and practical knowledge of entrepreneurship. The program will also teach students marketing, social media, and financial planning skills.
Google has a similar initiative to train young entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia, including India. It launched Launchpad Accelerator in 2013. The program will be jointly conducted by Google India and chosen educational institutions across the country. The first batch of students will be selected from Pune, Delhi and Kolkata in 2018. The tech giant plans to conduct a training program for 10,000 students by 2020. Students from partner institutes can apply for the program until October 15.
How does the Startup School India work?
Google’s Startup School India, launched in Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore starting October 25, will train 5,000 students who want to create their technology startups. The program’s categories include core tech classes in programming and app development. Innovative classes will teach entrepreneurial training on these topics, such as how to start a business using the Google Cloud Platform or how to source funding.
The Startup School India will allow Google an opportunity to work with several universities in India, including the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) and the Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM-I) and help them create a culture of entrepreneurship. Students unable to attend college can also receive training in a 70-station program at local libraries, IT hubs and other public spaces. At least 200 employees at Google’s offices across the country will take turns to be mentors for students after training them on entrepreneurship.
-The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor has ranked India 108th in terms of entrepreneurial intent and performance. Furthermore, the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report has given India a rank of 113 out of 144 compared to its ranking of 109th globally when it comes to innovation; 114th in overall infrastructure; 117th in business sophistication and 116th when ranking on the ease of doing business.
-The startup ecosystem in India has potential with a market of more than $100 billion and the need for high-quality entrepreneurs. The present rate of startups in India is about 2-3 per 1000. The government calculated that 3 million jobs would be created by 2020, and the number of startups should be around 5 million by then. It is the concern of the government to generate employment in the startup ecosystem; based on data from Google, there is about a 25% return on investment from startups.
How will the Startup School India benefit Google?
Google has started an initiative to train 10,000 tech-savvy youth in tier 2 and 3 cities across India. It hopes to gain some of its best talents who can enhance its ecosystem. Google aims is to create a network of mentors from all sectors, including technology, finance and design. With the initiative, Google hopes to reach out to a more significant section of Indian society.
How does Startup School India benefit students?
The program will allow Google an opportunity to work with several universities in India, including the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) and the Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM-I) and help them create a culture of entrepreneurship. Students unable to attend college can also receive training in a 70-station program at local libraries, IT hubs and other public spaces.
Google has started an initiative to train 10,000 tech-savvy youth in tier 2 and 3 cities across India. It hopes to gain some of its best talents who can enhance its ecosystem.
Employer perspective: According to Google, one out of five jobs created worldwide is by a startup. If the Startup School creates 10,000 startups, at least 200,000 new jobs will be created by 2020. With this program, Google will create numerous opportunities for recruitment in the future.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Google’s initiative is an effort to create a better environment for startups across the country and help them become a part of the young and dynamic ecosystem of India. The Startup School India will benefit students in the long run by providing them with practical and theoretical knowledge of technology. It will also give Google an opportunity to reach out to students in tier 2 and 3 cities, making them a part of its ecosystem. Overall, it aims to help promote entrepreneurship among young people by creating more jobs in the Indian tech industry.
Currently, there are more than a hundred companies and startups in India in which Google has invested or been otherwise involved.
Edited by Prakriti Arora
