MeitY Teams Up With Google To Help 100 Indian Startups Scale Their Apps
The selected startups include, Enguru (live learning platform), BabyG (parenting and baby development app), Louie Voice Control (helping people operate other apps using their voice), among others
A live learning app, an app for dairy farmers, and a game inspired by Indian mythology are among the 100 Indian early to mid-stage startups selected to be a growth and development program backed by MeitY Startup Hub and Google. MeitY Startup Hub, an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Google today announced the names of start-up how will be in Appscale Academy's Class of 2023.
Appscale Academy is a growth and development program to train early to mid-stage startups to build high-quality apps for the world. According to the statement by MeitY Startup Hub, "The 100 startups were chosen from over 950 applications following an in-depth selection process that took into account their creative ideas and innovation, product quality, product scalability, and talent diversity."
"The cohort’s main sectors span Education, Health, Social, Agriculture, and Gaming. Representing the talent diversity emerging among India’s startup and developer ecosystem, 50 per cent of the cohort comes from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, including Varanasi, Ernakulam, Surat, Dehradun, Allahabad, and many others. 37 per cent of the cohort have a woman founder at the helm," the statement added.
The selected startups include Enguru (live learning platform), BabyG (parenting and baby development app), Louie Voice Control (helping people operate other apps using their voice), Dhenoo (knowledge platform for dairy farmers), GeeCom India (ecommerce opportunities for farmers), EyeCan (helping the visually impaired with virtual assistance), Neend (mindfulness app that’s helping people sleep better), Glii (Queer dating app), ProjectHero (networking platform for construction workers), Kurukshetra (strategy game inspired by Indian mythology), ZenOnco Cancer Care (app for cancer patients and caregivers), and many more.
Jeet Vijay, Chief Executive Officer, MeitY Startup Hub, said, “India stands tall worldwide when it comes to innovation and startups. We are a thriving economy with immense growth opportunities across sectors, including agritech, fintech, healthtech, and more. It’s great to see our local innovators capitalize on this opportunity and make a meaningful impact with their businesses. Google did an incredible job of supporting the startups in the first cohort and we look forward to working with them once again.”
Aditya Swamy, Director, Play Partnerships, Google Play, said, "The growth of our startups are inextricably linked with India’s emergence as a global innovation hub and it's critical that these innovators are supported with training and development that can help them power their success. Last year, we were thrilled to see our first cohort adapt learnings from the program to improve their product experience and grow their user base. We look forward to supporting a fresh cohort of 100 startups in scaling their app businesses. I would like to thank MeitY Startup Hub for partnering us on this vision."
As part of the 6-month program, 100 startups will be trained through a customized curriculum designed to help them drive high-quality apps for a global market, including sessions on UX design, business model and monetization strategies, international expansion best practices, and data safety and security practices, the statement said. Adding that the startups will receive access to virtual instructor-led webinars, self-learning material, and mentorship sessions with leading local and global industry professionals. Select startups will also get an opportunity to pitch to leading venture capitalists.
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