Google today announced the startups that will be participating in the fifth cohort of its prestigious Launchpad accelerator programme. Of the 24 teams, 4 of them represented Southeast Asia (an additional six companies came from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan).

Financial services provider Ayannah is part of the latest batch of startups to be accepted to Google’s Launchpad Accelerator, a six-month mentorship program offered by the tech giant to startups in emerging markets. The announcement was made last November 29.

When Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma visited the Philippines last October, he made no qualms about expressing his company’s efforts to boost e-commerce in the country. After all, e-commerce only captured 0.5% of the total market in the Philippines last 2015, according to a Google Temasek study.

To cap off another amazing year for Launchpad Accelerator, we're excited to announce the 5th class of our hands-on mentorship program. This includes a diverse group of startups from all over the world looking to tackle everything from streamlining medical records in Africa to improving breast cancer screenings.