Be still, my heart. Google-senpai has giveth.
If you’re reading this article, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that startups have become a force to be reckoned with in this day and age. Far be it for a giant like Google to downplay that. So this Silicon Valley behemoth has been pretty startup-friendly, launching accelerators and products.
And yesterday, they’ve taken it one step further by putting all of its resources into one beginner-friendly website, built “for those who never stop starting”.
Tab 1: Tools
Aptly called Startup With Google, the resource collection lists out Google-developed resources like Firebase, Android Studio, Google Maps API, Google Trends and Google Analytics, to even productivity tools like Google Hire, Google Groups and Google Keep.
Tab 2: Best Practices
Besides matching your startup needs with a corresponding Google product, the page also links startup-relevant articles and topics from it’s re:Work project.
Listed under the page’s ‘Best Practices’ tab, Google has also categorised its other resources that might help startups better hire the right people, grow revenue, raise funds, understand their customers, among others.
But if you’re a strong, independent startup who don’t need no hand-holding from Google, you can easily click on ‘View All’ on both Tools and Best Practices to just jump straight into the resources you want. No need for you to go through what Google thinks you might use the resource for.
Besides listing out more tools and helpful articles, this resource also lists out any videos on YouTube that might help. My own little exploration of the Grow Revenue tab showcased a few, two of which are one of experts sharing tips on revenue growth, and “Watch Google Demo Day 2017”.
Tab 3: Community
Unfortunately, this third tab didn’t seem as relevant to our little corner of the world, as it seems more Silicon Valley-centric, based on my observations.
Nevertheless, news about their accelerators or initiatives would be parked here, so an opportunistic startup player might find something interesting if they keep an eye out here.
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We can’t help but wonder what the launch of Startup with Google could mean for any Google-backed startup initiatives in the future, especially about the possibility of Google going further to influence startups outside of the Silicon Valley bubble.
Would that actually spell good things for startups here, or would you object to the intrusion? Of course, it’s all a moot point if this doesn’t even happen in the first place.
Regardless of my musings, I hope that Malaysian startups can find something useful in the launch of this new page, or at least find it easier to access some of Google’s resources.