GSF & Cisco To Accelerate 5 IoT & Cloud Startups In 2015

India's leading technology accelerator & seed funding platform GSF has partnered with the corporate venture arm of Cisco to accelerate and fund 5 startups in 2015 that focus on cloud and internet-of-things (IoT).

The accelerator, which will be based in Bangalore, will shortlist the startups for a 16 week program, and will also provide each of them with $45,000-$50,000 (about Rs 28 lakh) in funding to each of the selected startups for an 8% stake. GSF also does follow-on rounds of up to $500,000 into a few select startups after the program.

Apply for GSFIndia IoT + Cloud Accelerator Program Here

Functioning as a "super-accelerator" by design, GSF IoT+Cloud offers founders four months to make the kind of progress typically accomplished in eight to twelve months. GSF IoT+Cloud is structured like a Hackathon. Products pivot several times as teams go through intense, often grueling Q&A sessions with mentors and entrepreneurs in residence. The result of this accelerator is an ecosystem created by the startups for the startups

During the 16-week period starting in March, the five selected startups will spend a month in Silicon Valley as well. GSF will also hold demo days for the startups in Bangalore, Singapore and San Francisco (US).

"India is now going through a mobile wave. We believe IoT will be the next wave. Along with Cisco Investments, we will help companies get access to global customers," said GSF founder Rajesh Sawhney, whose accelerator has funded 34 companies since its inception in 2012.

GSF said it will further invest in the portfolio companies along with Cisco after the programme.

Last year, Cisco Investments set aside $40 million (about Rs 249.63 crore) to invest in early-stage Indian startups focused primarily on three verticals -connected mobility, big data and internet-of-things.

GSF Launches 'M-Accelerator', A Specialized Program For Mobile Startups In India

Gurgaon-based technology startup accelerator GSF global accelerator has lately launched a specialized accelerator program called 'M-Acceleratr' for mobile startups in India and plans to launch more specialized vertical programmes going forward.

Through M-Accelerator GSF will train and fund 10-15 Indian mobile-first startups beginning next year across two batches annually. Functioning as a "super-accelerator" by design, GSF M-Accelerator offers founders four months to make the kind of progress ordinarily accomplished in six to eight months. The selected batches will spend time in India, the Silicon Valley, New York and Singapore.

GSF M-Accelerator will invest $40-$50k at 8-9% equity into the startups inducted into the Global Accelerator program. GSF also does follow-on rounds of up to $500,000 into a few select startups after the program.

GSF M-Accelerator is created in the image of a hackathon. Products pivot several times as teams go through intense, often grueling Q&A sessions with mentors and entrepreneurs in residence. The result of this accelerator is an ecosystem created by the startups for the startups: a challenging, risk-taking of product focuses teams, innovating in areas of mobile marketplaces, mobile apps and mobile commerce.

Since its inception GSF Accelerator had funded 33 startups across three batches including Little Eye Labs, which was acquired by Facebook earlier this year.

The four-month 'M-Accelerator' program will start in February next year. A typical week at GSF M-Accelrator consists of three key elements: Mentor Hours, Workshops and Visits.

GSF Mentors include Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, LinkedIn, Zynga, Evernote, Uber, Sequoia Capital, Greylock Partners, Matrix Partners, Canaan Partners, Accel, SoftBank, Intuit, Lyft, Spotify, InMobi, Nokia, MIT University, Stanford university, Makemytrip, Ixigo, Zomato, Slideshare, PayTM, Savaan, Hungama, Ola cabs, etc.