Google has announced the fourth installment of its Launchpad Accelerator Program and this time, the focus is on Artificial Intelligence (AI) that has been the company’s buzzword lately.
Six Indian startups have been shortlisted for the six-month program that kicks off in July. India has recorded the most number of startups selected this year, followed by Brazil (4), Nigeria (4) and Indonesia (3).
These startups include EdGE Networks, FastFilmz, IndiaLends, RailYatri, RecipeBook and SigTuple. All are early stage firms and are tied by their use of AI, where Google is focusing all its energies right now.
“These startups were shortlisted from hundreds of startups who applied this year based on their unique value proposition and use of latest technologies like machine learning and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to build high impact solutions,” said Paul Ravindranath G, Program Manager, Google India.
and continue to work closely with Google after the program ends.
This year, Google has expanded the curriculum as well. “We’ll help the startups dig deeper into machine learning and AI, to help them leverage Google’s latest technologies to scale their apps,” Roy Glasberg, Global Lead, Launchpad Program & Accelerator wrote in the Google developer’s blog.
Here’s what the six Indian startups do:
EdGE Networks: An HR solutions provider that uses big data and deep analytics to solve talent acquisition and workforce optimization problems.
FastFilmz: A content destination for South Indian movie fans. This ad-free service uploads new films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada every week, and allows unlimited HD downloads to premium users.
IndiaLends: A fin-tech startup that offers credit cards, home loans and personal loans to consumers. The app helps track credit reports, EMIs as well as monthly spending. It also tells users if they are eligible for a loan.
RailYatri: It takes crowd-sourced content and uses AI technology to offer smart predictions that help long-distance travelers plan better. It can predict train delays, inform travelers about ticket confirmations, and notify them about seat and platform numbers. They can also book train tickets, and order food for the trip through the app.
RecipeBook: An intelligent cooking app that uses deep learning to tailor recipes according to the tastes and preferences of its users. It was the first-ever recipe app to be listed under the Editor’s Picks section in Play Store. Recipes can be saved for offline viewing too.
SigTuple: A healthcare startup that uses AI to arrive at a diagnosis. They are also creating a platform called Manthana which helps analyze visual medical data more efficiently. This startup is already funded by Accel Partners, IDG Ventures India, among others.
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