FILE PHOTO: Journalists follow a news conference during the opening of the new Alphabet's Google Berlin office in Berlin, Germany, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Tuesday it has launched a four-month program in Israel to help startups grow globally using its experts and tools.

The Google Startup Growth Lab Programme has picked eight companies, after a pilot was completed in 2018.

“This is a program for startups that are beginning their growth period or have growth challenges,” Lior Noy, startup growth lead at Google, told Reuters.

The format, which provides industry insights to achieve growth in various geographies, is a first for Google, he added.

The eight firms include Guesty, a platform for short-term property management, and DayTwo, which provides personalized nutrition insights based on intestinal bacteria.

Noy said the program will run three times a year and Google will continue to work with the startups even after their programs end.

“We have a few teams that work with companies that are more mature and so we give them the best team to continue their growth,” he said.