Google for Startups

Alajo is an Escrowed Digital Piggy Bank for the Under(un)banked without the need of internet access. We do this by helping the grassroot population save money every day (avg. $2.13 per day) using USSD, IVR and SMS through POS and Money Agents in their communities, delivered via a Savings Infrastructure.

Tapestree is a community-building employee engagement platform designed to enhance connectivity and personal growth within organizations. It offers a peer-to-peer coaching system that connects employees with one another, fostering a sense of purpose and belonging. By leveraging the expertise of peers, Tapestree helps organizations bridge gaps in inclusion and learning, ultimately driving engagement and enhancing workplace culture.

SmartClass is a skill-learning network that enables youth to learn from their peers.

Rnters, Unipessoal Lda. is an online rental marketplace based in Lisbon, Portugal, that facilitates the renting of everyday items, including GoPros, bikes, video games, books, and various other products. Founded in 2016 by Guilherme Guerra, the platform allows users to save money by renting items they need while enabling others to profit from their underutilized assets. Rnters offers access to over 3,000 unique items, providing a cost-effective alternative to purchasing goods outright. The company's innovative approach supports a sharing economy, encouraging users to both rent and lend items, thereby enhancing resource efficiency and accessibility.

Lupiya is an innovative online marketplace for microloans that operates as a branch-less digital microfinance platform. By leveraging technology, it simplifies and streamlines the borrowing process, making financial services accessible to individuals and businesses, including those in rural and remote areas. The company's platform incorporates artificial intelligence to enhance its offerings, which include tailored loans for personal and business needs, as well as investments and digital payments. Lupiya aims to empower underserved communities, particularly focusing on providing opportunities for women, thereby fostering financial inclusion across the region.

Pineapple Tech Pty Ltd is a South African company that operates a peer-to-peer insurance platform, providing short-term insurance coverage to its members. Founded in 2017 and based in Johannesburg, the company allows users to pay and track their premiums online while selecting their preferred network for pooling. Pineapple aims to innovate the insurance experience by aligning incentives with users, offering transparency about premium usage, and returning any unused premiums to members. The platform simplifies the insurance process, enabling users to obtain coverage quickly, often in under 60 seconds, by utilizing AI technology. Pineapple launched its "My Stuff" per-item insurance in 2018 and expanded its offerings to include "My Ride" for auto insurance. The company has also formed a partnership with Travelers in the United States and provides a white-labeled version of its platform for that market.

AkinTec develops innovative technology to enhance operational efficiency across financial, legal, and commodities sectors. Its platform enables users to pay bills, withdraw money, create partner networks, earn transaction-based rewards, shop online, manage virtual currency, and credit facilities for daily budget management.

Vittas operates a loan distribution platform that enhances transparency across lending markets. The system provides businesses with access to working‑capital loans without collateral, using machine‑learning to assess credit risk. Embedded loan‑management software and flexible repayment options streamline inventory procurement and liquidity for medical and fintech operators, automating lending workflows and improving access to capital.

AkinTec develops innovative technology to enhance operational efficiency across financial, legal, and commodities sectors. Its platform enables users to pay bills, withdraw money, create partner networks, earn transaction-based rewards, shop online, manage virtual currency, and credit facilities for daily budget management.

Zirtue, LLC is a Dallas-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in a mobile lending application designed to facilitate loans among friends, family, and trusted relationships. The application simplifies the lending process by automating payments, allowing users to receive repayments through direct bank transfers. This system ensures that loan amounts and repayment terms are set by the borrower and lender, fostering transparency and reducing the awkwardness often associated with informal lending. By integrating real-time payment capabilities, Zirtue enables users to manage loans conveniently and securely, thereby digitizing and mobilizing personal lending practices.

Zirtue, LLC is a Dallas-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in a mobile lending application designed to facilitate loans among friends, family, and trusted relationships. The application simplifies the lending process by automating payments, allowing users to receive repayments through direct bank transfers. This system ensures that loan amounts and repayment terms are set by the borrower and lender, fostering transparency and reducing the awkwardness often associated with informal lending. By integrating real-time payment capabilities, Zirtue enables users to manage loans conveniently and securely, thereby digitizing and mobilizing personal lending practices.

GoParity is an online investment platform based in Lisbon, Portugal, founded in 2017. It facilitates crowdfunding for sustainable projects by connecting investors with initiatives in areas such as renewable energy, blue economy, smart cities, rural development, and social entrepreneurship.

Agryo Inc., established in 2018 and headquartered in Brasília, Brazil, specializes in developing artificial intelligence and blockchain-based solutions for the agricultural sector. The company offers a peer-to-peer lending platform that provides access to financial services, including credit assessment, risk evaluation, and smart contract monitoring. Agryo also delivers infrastructure support for agribusiness through services such as ratings, risk assessment, lending, insurance, price protection, savings accounts, and trade contracts. Its core business involves providing global enterprise risk intelligence to enable financial institutions to assess, manage, and monitor financial risks at the crop field level, facilitating underwriting of agriculture insurance, credit, trade finance, and environmental services like carbon credits.

Common Computer designs and develops a blockchain-based open resource platform that enables individual developers to create artificial intelligence services. The company operates platforms such as AI Network, which provides AI architecture, and aFan, a decentralized application. It aims to transform millions of open-source projects into live services through its Open Resource infrastructure, decoupling developers from resource providers so developers can upload programs and providers can operate them and share revenue. The AI Network blockchain serves as a bridge between programs and resources, monetizing open-source solutions. Ainize acts as a serverless cloud launchpad to support the AI Network and related open-source microservices.

Bliive is the first online collaborative network of time exchange. They believe that everyone has a talent, skill or knowledge to share. Users can offer an hour of Spanish classes and for that they will receive a credit of one TimeMoney that can be spent on any other experience available on the platform. egardless of how much money you have in your bank account, anyone with a little time can experience new things, meet people and make their dreams come true through collaboration