Google is spinning up a brand new, online-only startup accelerator centered across the elusive round economic system. The hassle is Google’s newest to assist environmentally targeted startups develop, whereas doubtlessly hooking them on its cloud merchandise within the course of.
Within the broadest of strokes, the round economic system represents a colossal shift in how humanity makes and makes use of stuff. As an alternative of primarily harvesting uncooked supplies to supply items that wind up incinerated, or in oceans or landfills, the round economic system provides another the place stuff is intentionally reused, repaired and recycled over and over. On the entire, this isn’t how the world works, however the idea has gained floor amongst specialists, in addition to some firms and lawmakers, in response to humanity’s runaway waste and climate crises.
“Yearly, humanity consumes excess of what the planet can naturally replenish,” wrote Google round economic system lead Mike Werner on the corporate’s blog. “We have to rebuild our relationship with bodily assets and the way we make, course of, use, and recycle them,” he added, citing vogue and meals among the many industries that candidates would possibly give attention to.
Applications for the accelerator opened immediately, October 3, and can shut on November 14, forward of a February 2023 begin. The ten-week program targets startups and non-profit teams within the Asia-Pacific area and North America, providing mentorship and technical help “by way of a mixture of 1-to-1 and 1-to-many studying periods,” per Google.
As with different “Google for Startups”-branded accelerators — akin to its Climate program from earlier this yr — the search and promoting large isn’t taking fairness neither is it providing capital by way of this system.
Google has introduced so many sustainability and climate-focused efforts to date that it’s troublesome to maintain tabs on all of them, but the practically $1.3 trillion firm has additionally been known as out for its banking practices, which not directly finance fossil gas growth. The issues don’t finish there: Google information facilities gulp down water to remain cool, raising concerns in communities the place water is scarce. Google can be a serious participant within the smartphone trade, which has an alarming track record of its personal, concerning each the environment and its treatment of workers.
