Google will expand the Growth Lab Program to Tools and Utilities mobile apps developers and offer open access to educational content in 2023, following the success of Google’s Gaming Growth Lab in 2021 and 2022.

Fifty-three gaming studios in Vietnam graduated from Google Gaming Growth Lab 2022. Photo the courtesy of Google

Apps Growth Lab is an intensive training program for Gaming and Tools & Utilities mobile app developers, with three key improvements from the previous program. 

The program expands the training content to Tools and Utility app developers and Gaming. Access to educational content will be opened to welcome more developers participating in the program for a higher impact on the ecosystem. 

Besides, the new program will have a longer supporting phase for attending developer businesses over three months to help provide game and app studios with sufficient time to absorb and implement the learnings from intensive training. 

Nopparat Yokubon, Head of AppDev Sales for Google Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, said that, according to the e-Conomy SEA report 2022, Vietnam’s gross merchandise value (GMV) in the digital economy is on course to reach US$50 billion in 2025. On average, seven out of ten game studios in Vietnam target oversea markets, and gaming is becoming Vietnam's next high-value export industry. Developers are a key part of it. 

“To sustainably support the fast-growing pace of Vietnam’s digital economy, Google wants to reach out to more apps developers beyond the gaming industry and provide them with sufficient training and practical sharing from not only Google experts but also industry veterans,” she said.

App developer studios, who are accepted to be part of the 2023 cohort, will be able to experience the four-month program that covers four core pillars: 

Build: Uncover the global app and gaming opportunity to understand different levers to set the all-round strategy for your company;

Develop: Bring a user-centric mindset to app and game product development and leverage best-in-class technology to set your app up for long-term success;

Launch: Uncover strategies to win the launch, set up monetization models, and maximize Google's tools for data to achieve measurable growth; Scale: Knowledge of opening your app to the world by leveraging market and platform diversification strategies.