Google Launchpad Accelerator India shortlists 10 startups

Google on Friday announced the first batch of 10 shortlisted startups selected for its Launchpad Accelerator mentorship programme in India.

The inaugural programme will begin on September 10 at Google's Bengaluru office.

The selected startups will participate in a two-week intensive mentorship boot camp, followed by customised virtual support for the remaining three months, Google said in a statement.

"The shortlisted startups are doing incredible work in areas ranging from enhancing employability and earning-abilities of the blue-collar workforce to using satellite imagery to support farmers' decision-making process," said Paul Ravindranath G, Programme Manager at Google India.

Among the selected startups is CareNx, which has developed a smartphone-enabled fetal heart monitor aimed at early detection of fetal asphyxia.

Vassar Labs uses sensors, satellite imagery and crowdsourced data to provide decision-making support in areas such as water management, agriculture and education.

Wysa offers an AI-based chat platform for mental health support, while MultiBhashi is a simplified language-learning platform aimed at blue-collar workers and users of online services.

Genrobotics has developed a semi-automatic robot for cleaning manholes, with the aim of helping eliminate manual scavenging in India.

OliveWear is building a connected healthcare ecosystem linking doctors with pregnant women to provide personalised maternal care.

Signzy uses artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to provide digital verification and risk prediction services.

SlangLabs develops multilingual voice interfaces for mobile applications, allowing users to interact with apps through voice as well as touch.

ten3THealthcare has developed an early-warning system designed to detect preventable clinical adverse events by continuously monitoring patients' vital signs remotely.

Uncanny Vision focuses on vehicle, people and object analytics using AI-based deep-learning models.

"We are hopeful that with this programme of ours, we will be able to bring the best of Google -- our expertise, platforms, tools and core strengths including machine learning and AI, to help Indian startups build, scale and grow their offering," Ravindranath said.

Applications for Launchpad Accelerator India opened in July. The programme is based on Google's global Launchpad Accelerator initiative.