Google has unveiled the cohort of 12 startups participating in the first installation of its cloud accelerator for startups in North America, naming two Canadian participants: Oncoustics and OneCup AI.
Canadian startups represent a minority in this year’s cohort, following the extension of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Cloud program to companies in the United States (US) this year.
Minority representation of Canadian startups in this cohort is part of a broader trend among Google’s other North America accelerators.
A spokesperson for Google previously told BetaKit in April that Google “piloted” the cloud accelerator program in Canada in 2021 and 2022, with each year featuring a cohort of only Canadian startups.
After seeing what it said was strong demand for an accelerator for cloud-native startups in North America, Google decided to extend its cloud accelerator to the US.
As part of the accelerator, participants can gain access to cloud mentorship and technical project support, as well as workshops on product design, customer acquisition, and leadership development.
One accelerator participant is the Toronto-based medtech startup Oncoustics. The company says it is developing low-cost, point-of-care ultrasound systems with portable surveillance, diagnostic, and monitoring systems for preventative care and early intervention.
As part of the Google for Startups Accelerator: Cloud program, Oncoustics CEO Beth Rogozinski said the company aims to hone its ability in scaling machine learning environments and processes for the purpose of developing multiple new diagnostic products.
Vancouver’s OneCup AI uses computer vision AI for its tracking and monitoring solutions for livestock. By joining Google’s cloud accelerator, the startup hopes to refine its algorithms and optimize its infrastructure built on Google’s suite of cloud-computing services.
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The relatively small proportion of Canadian startups in this cohort is part of a broader trend among Google’s other accelerators that are open to startups in both Canada and the US.
Google launched both the Women Founders and Black Founders programs in 2020. Though the program for women has been available to both Canada and the US since its inception, the accelerator for Black entrepreneurs was first made available in the US, then extended to Canadians a year later.
Though both the Women Founders and Black Founders program are open to startups in Canada and the U.S., their cohorts from last year were dominated by U.S. startups.
In the previous cohort for women founders, three Canadians were selected to participate among a group of 12. They were Blossom: Social Investing, Emaww, and MedEssist. The program for Black founders also saw three Canadian companies last year:Node, Beam.city DNA, and HumanSquad.
Featured image courtesy OneCup AI.
