Google executives recently visited Cape Town to assess the suitability of locating an incubator centre in the Mother City, one of several South African locations the US-based Internet giant is considering.
The Google executives met members of the Cape IT Initiative's board, during which the latter briefed them on the city's own incubator project - the Bandwidth Barn.
“I think it is still early stages for Google at the moment,” says a source, who was in the meeting. “They know there is a lot of good stuff out there that may be useful to Google themselves. The problem for them is how to go about it.”
The source says it did not seem Google was going to spend “big money or run big programmes, and so is looking for a location where it can partner with someone”.
The source says the benefit of having Google locate a portion of its incubator programme in Cape Town, or anywhere else locally, is that it is a big brand name and so will generate a lot of attention.
Amazon.com established a development centre in Cape Town four years ago. SAP founder and chairman Hasso Plattner has opened a branch of his international venture capital firm in Cape Town, with the aim of harvesting local ideas to take to international markets.
“The advantage of Cape Town over other locations is that we have the incubator infrastructure already in place,” the source says.
Julie Taylor, Google SA's head of communications, refused to comment directly on any discussions that took place, but says: “Google is always exploring new and exciting prospects. No decision has been made on this project yet.”
Meanwhile, Google SA's search for a new country head continues after the announced resignation of incumbent Stephen Newton, who is scheduled to depart at the end of May.
“We are looking for a South African to fill this position, but - in the meantime - our daily operations are unaffected,” Taylor says. “Stephen plans to stay in SA after he leaves us.”
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