A new partnership with Google aims to bolster mentorship opportunities and deepen the resource pool for entrepreneurs in Southeast Michigan and around the state.

ID Ventures, the venture arm of nonprofit Invest Detroit, announced Wednesday that Google's startup accelerator program, Google Developers Launchpad, would partner with the Detroit-based organization in an effort to better provide services aimed at helping early-stage startups achieve scale.

Patti Glaza, Invest Detroit's executive vice president and managing director of ID Ventures, said connecting entrepreneurs to capital will continue to be mission critical for the Invest Detroit organization, but the Google partnership provides an opportunity to bring Silicon Valley expertise to the region.

"That's what we're looking to capture from this," Glaza told Crain's in an interview. "Capital will be the primary focus, but with these early-stage companies, if you're not supporting them with talent and knowledge and assistance, the capital only goes so far."

The Silicon Valley technology giant has launched other Launchpad accelerators in several African countries, Brazil, India and other countries, but the partnership with ID Ventures marks the company's first venture in the continental U.S. The company says that as part of the program participants will get access to Google's engineering talent and other mentorship opportunities, as well as training and support in public relations and media.

"Google is thrilled to expand our partnership with ID Ventures and its exceptional startup portfolio" Kevin O'Toole, Google's head of international growth for Launchpad, said in a statement. "The Powered by Google Developers Launchpad program is about empowering startup communities around the world and helping them leverage each other for insights and resource sharing. We are thrilled to expand this program into Detroit and the state of Michigan."

Glaza hopes the program will bring people who have worked in dozens of startups around the world to Michigan who can help the region's entrepreneurs avoid many of the common pitfalls associated with growing a company.

"We don't have as many people to call to say, 'Hey, can you come help, let's talk through this,'" Glaza said. "The plan is to bring these mentors to connect them to specific high-growth companies that we think can have an immediate impact in how they scale."

The commitment by Google comes at a time when entrepreneurial activity both nationally and in the state is on the rise, as Crain's reported on Wednesday. Michigan in 2019 saw a rise of 53 percent with $771.6 million invested.