Startups can celebrate this Ganesh Chathurthi day with Google , as they have announced a Google News Initiative jointly with DIGIPUB News India Foundation and Echos – a unique program to support high-quality reporting for local communities, single-topic audiences and/or previously underserved communities across India.
Created in partnership between the Google News Initiative (GNI), global innovation lab Echos, and DIGIPUB News India Foundation – the GNI Startups Lab India program is a motivational effort by the search engine giant google.
Good News for Early stage online news organisation creating original digital content check out the details
Which startups are eligible to participate in Google News Initiative 2021?
Please consider applying if you:
- Are based in India
- Are independently owned and operated
- Produce original content that is primarily available on a digital platform(s)
- Have an existing news product and website, which has demonstrated traction via site visits, signups and/ or earned revenue
- Have been operating for at least six months but no longer than 5 years
- Earn less than $350,000 (or 26M INR) per year in gross revenue
- Can demonstrate some successes on the path to sustainability. Examples include increased site visits, a growing membership program or increased earned revenue.
- Focus on one or more of the following:
- Public interest journalism
- Closing an information gap
- Serving a geographic-bound or single subject community
- Serving an underserved community
- Exploring new ways to deliver and/or monetise information
- Are willing to share business insights and collaborate with fellow news entrepreneurs
GNI, Echos and DIGIPUB have built a 16-week program specifically tailored to the needs of content startups in India. You will benefit from Echos’ experience in supporting media startups through design thinking and from DIGIPUB’s extensive network and active community in India: there will be workshops, coaching and high-profile networking opportunities.
Applications for the 2021 GNI Startups Lab India are now open. If you are an existing news founder or part of an early-stage digital news organisation, then we want to hear from you!
What is GNI Startups Lab?
The GNI Startups Lab India aims to help journalistic startups better understand their audiences, create higher quality content (text, audio and/or video) and navigate the pitfalls of monetisation. At the end of the program, you will have improved your capabilities to sustainably provide your audience with high quality journalism.
Who is the program for?
The programme is for founders and teams producing journalistic digital content who want to
Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to operate and grow a digital news business
Explore a major strategic opportunity, which can help you become more sustainable. Sustainability in the context of this programme is defined as the union of journalistic impact, operational resilience and financial health
You’re committed to public-service reporting with communities, not on communities
You’re committed to making your business idea financially sustainable as quickly as possible
You or your team are able to commit approx. 8-16 hours per week for four months to meeting coaches and trainers, as well as completing remote coursework.
We are especially interested in entrepreneurs who want to serve communities that don’t often see themselves or their stories reflected in their local news.