Celo, a blockchain platform known for its commitment to sustainability and regenerative finance (ReFi), has announced a partnership with Google Cloud to support mission-aligned startups building on Celo. The partnership will enable these startups to access credits for Google Cloud and Google’s mobile development platform, Firebase, allowing them to enhance Celo’s mobile-first infrastructure and decentralized applications (Dapps).
Firebase, a mobile and web application development platform developed by Google, provides developers with various tools and services for building apps, including authentication, real-time databases, cloud storage, and messaging. With access to these tools, startups building on Celo can create and scale their applications more efficiently and securely.
Moreover, Google Cloud’s team will provide mentorship and guidance to the Celo Foundation’s Founders in Residence program and participate in the virtual Celo Camp accelerator program, which supports entrepreneurs in developing sustainability-focused startups. Additionally, the two organizations aim to co-host targeted workshops and events focused on Web3 sustainability and innovation.
The partnership is set to create broader awareness for blockchain technology’s ability to scale real-world use cases on Celo. According to Xochitl Cazador, Celo Foundation’s head of ecosystem growth, “This new, expanded partnership between Google and the Celo Foundation enhances the ability to collaboratively create broader awareness for blockchain technology and its ability to scale real-world use cases on Celo.”
Celo’s commitment to sustainability is grounded in its carbon negativity achieved through proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus. The blockchain platform is recognized as a leader in ReFi, a broad concept that prioritizes sustainability within finance. With over 1,000 projects in more than 150 countries, Celo has gained recognition within the Web3 community for its focus on sustainability and innovation.
The partnership with Google Cloud is set to alleviate the strain on emerging and established projects, allowing ecosystem builders to tackle today and tomorrow’s largest sustainability challenges. Addressing the challenges that sustainability-focused startups in the Celo Network face, Cazador shared that “highly technical onboarding processes, complex interfaces, and unfamiliar transaction fee currencies present major barriers to entry for such startups in the Web3 space.” However, Celo’s partnership with Google Cloud is set to “alleviate the strain on emerging and established projects, thereby allowing ecosystem builders to tackle today and tomorrow’s largest sustainability challenges.”
In episode 10 of Cointelegraph’s Hashing It Out podcast, Rene Reinsberg, the president of Celo Foundation and the co-founder of the Celo blockchain, discussed the ReFi movement and Celo’s plans to stay relevant in the multichain world. Reinsberg shared that he sees the increase in layer-1 blockchains and layer-2 networks as an opportunity to bring more people into crypto.
Overall, the Celo Foundation and Google Cloud partnership is an exciting development for the Web3 community, as it further highlights the potential for blockchain technology to drive sustainability and innovation. With mentorship, credits, and workshops, startups building on Celo have access to the tools they need to create impactful and sustainable solutions for today’s world.