Maruti Suzuki India's Accelerator Program Now Open for Global Startups as Well

Maruti Suzuki India Limited has opened applications for the 9th Cohort of its Maruti Suzuki Accelerator program, which now includes global startups. This initiative aims to create an enabling ecosystem for startups with technology-driven innovations in the automobile manufacturing and mobility space. Here are the key benefits for startups:

1. Guidance from Mentors: Startups receive guidance from mentors associated with domestic and international startup ecosystems, as well as domain experts from Maruti Suzuki.

2. Paid Proof of Concept: Qualified startups have the opportunity to conduct a Paid Proof of Concept with Maruti Suzuki.

3. Educational Visits to Japan: Participants can engage in educational visits to Japan, fostering global market connections.

4. Funding: Startups may secure funding through the Maruti Suzuki Innovation Fund.

Since its inception, the program has screened over 2,000 startups across 8 cohorts, engaging with 56 startups. Notably, 18 of these startups have become business partners, generating a combined business of over INR 1 billion. Starting with Cohort 9, the program has been rebranded as the Maruti Suzuki Accelerator, emphasizing its commitment to innovation and growth. Interested startups can apply [here].

In the previous cohorts of the Maruti Suzuki Accelerator program, several startups have made significant strides. Here are some notable success stories:

1. Woloo: Woloo emerged as one of the winners in the program. Their innovative solutions likely address specific challenges within Maruti Suzuki's business verticals. 
2. Hala Mobility: Hala Mobility, another winning startup, showcased promising technology relevant to the automobile manufacturing and mobility space.
3. SwitchON: SwitchON, the third winner, impressed with their solutions. Their contributions may enhance customer convenience or improve business processes for Maruti Suzuki.

Maruti Suzuki has engaged with a total of 56 startups across eight cohorts. Out of these, 18 startups have become business partners, collectively generating over INR 1 billion in business. These success stories demonstrate the program's commitment to fostering innovation and driving technological advancements in the automotive industry.

Maruti Suzuki Announces 5 Startups As Winners of Its MAIL Cohort 8; Winners Earn Proof-of-Concept

Maruti Suzuki announced the winners of Cohort 8 of its Mobility & Automobile Innovation Lab - a program part of Maruti Suzuki Innovation umbrella. This initiative aims to offer innovative solutions to enhance efficiency across business areas. At Cohort 8, five startups were declared as the winners namely — Metadome.ai, Only Good, YeppAR, Twyn and Pushpak.

Cohort 8 saw 14 startups from across the country demonstrating their ideas. Here, startups proposed solutions relevant to manufacturing, Service, Parts Accessories & Logistics, Digital Enterprise, and Quality Assurance business domains.

 

Encouraging the participants, Mr. Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “Practically implemented innovation is helping to bring-in social benefits, improve quality of life, and create jobs. Realizing the huge potential of startups to drive innovation, the Government of India undertook the Startup India initiative. At Maruti Suzuki, we realize this potential and are actively working with startups to co-create tech-enabled solutions relevant to the mobility industry. Our startup program continues to play a significant role in bringing a positive impact in business.”

Maruti Suzuki started the MAIL initiative in 2019 to identify and create a bustling ecosystem of startups to encourage tech-enabled innovative solutions in the automobile and mobility space. The startups join hands with experts from Maruti Suzuki to co-create solutions across domains such as Engineering, Information Technology, Logistics, Marketing & Sales, Production, Service, Spare Parts, and Supply Chain. During the period of association, the startups are provided mentoring and access to test beds to assess the feasibility of their ideas, as well as help add value to Maruti Suzuki’s business operations. Through the program, the selected startups collaborate with Maruti Suzuki to see their innovative ideas be implemented in the real-world conditions, while the participants get to hone their entrepreneurial capabilities. Aligned to Government’s ‘Start-up India’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives, Maruti Suzuki runs multiple innovation programs to engage with startups at different stages of maturity. These programs are, 1) Pre- Incubation Program (Nurture), 2) Incubation Program, 3) Mobility and Automobile Innovation Lab (MAIL), and 4) Mobility Challenge.

DeepTech focused SanchiConnect's PreSeed Accelerator Announces Preseed Funding, Market Access Support to 6 Green Mobility Innovations

The program received 552 applications from all over the country of which 6 startups after 75 days of intense screening and diligence were picked for investments

SanchiConnect, a community focused on deep-tech start-ups, investors, and corporations unveiled its PreSeed Accelerator's latest milestone in driving innovation and sustainability. Six exceptional startups have been selected for acceleration and capital infusion of INR 75 Lac, coupled with 100 days of focused market access support, through the pioneering PreSeed Accelerator program. This initiative is set to catapult the development of innovative solutions in the realm of green mobility.

The program received 552 applications from all over the country of which 6 startups after 75 days of intense screening and diligence were picked for investments. The selected cohort startups include EVhicle, Simactricals, Dockervision, Swappdesign, PerUse and The Energy Company.

“India stands on the cusp of a revolution in the field of sustainable mobility, and our partnership with Sanchi Connect for the Green Mobility Accelerator program serves as an exceptional platform to gain access to the entire Indian Mobility landscape along with providing a comprehensive pipeline of ongoing developments across the ecosystem, as we see great potential in these new age tech companies" said Karan Mittal, Partner, Ev2 Ventures. 

Addison Appu, ThinKuvate VP Investments said he and the team is excited to participate in this unique program and believes that “EV sector is going to witness unprecedented growth in the coming years, Be it battery tech, charging tech or EV financing, all the sub sectors present plethora of opportunities where we will see new unicorns emerging”.

The PreSeed Accelerator with cohort 1 as "Green Mobility," is a testament to SanchiConnect's unwavering commitment to fostering entrepreneurial talent and propelling innovation. With the backing of leading micro VC partners Ev2 ventures, Sea Fund, and ThinKuvate, the selected startups will benefit from not only substantial funding but also unparalleled mentorship and strategic guidance. The accelerator was launched in partnership with Yamaha Motors Solutions India, Desai & Diwanji law firm, and IDFC First Bank.

Speaking on the Preseed Funding Mayuresh Raut, Managing Partner at Seafund said “We are extremely bullish about the 6 startups that we are backing in this program. It’s a great representation of Indian entrepreneurs using their domain understanding and technical skills to solve India specific problems in Mobility that is going to change the face of this industry in the coming days.”

"Today, we mark a pivotal moment in our mission to champion innovations in deep and emerging tech," said Dr. Sunil Shekhawat, CEO of SanchiConnect. "Our PreSeed Accelerator program, in partnership with esteemed micro VCs and industry majors is poised to empower these startups to redefine the future of green mobility."

SanchiConnect itself is fortified by the formidable backing of the management of BaringIndia PE fund and IP Ventures, further solidifying the program's foundation. This strategic collaboration reflects a shared vision to foster an ecosystem where groundbreaking ideas can thrive, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and vibrant future.

In line with its commitment to addressing pressing global challenges, Dr. Sunil Shekhawat announced the imminent launch of the next PreSeed Accelerator cohort, which will centre around climate technology and sustainability. This announcement underscores SanchiConnect's dedication to being a driving force in advancing solutions that hold the potential to reshape industries and positively impact the world.

20 Mobility Startups Selected by T-Hub and Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) to Transform India's Automotive Industry

• 3-month program to provide exclusive mentorship, investor connections, and market pilots
• Selected startups focus on automotive technologies, clean mobility solutions, and emerging vehicle tech
• Startups to benefit from access to world-class experts, resources, and potential investors and customers

T-Hub, India's leading innovation ecosystem, in collaboration with Atal Incubation Centre (AIC), announced the selection of 20 startups for its program focused on the automobile industry. The 3-month program aims to provide startups with exclusive 1:1 mentoring, group sessions, investor connections, and market pilots to help them find their first customers, interact with investors, access government incentives and grants, and structure their companies with new business models.

After screening over 230 applications, the startups were selected based on founder qualifications, business models, and products. The program's focus areas include automotive technologies, connected vehicles, fleet management, clean mobility solutions, electric vehicles, and emerging vehicle technologies.

Amongst the selected startup are-

1. Triolt,
2. Etric,
3. Vihaan Electrix,
4. Aurita electric utility bikes,
5. Tumpudi Automotive Pvt Ltd,
6. Zero Sum,
7. Bijliride,
8. Transcent,
9. TelioEV,
10. TRiDE Mobility,
11. CHARGEKART,
12. Piqyu,
13. Bid rYde,
14. SunPlower Wind,
15. LogiXair,
16. Austhraa Motors,
17. C&G Green Energy

"Through this program, we aim to create a strong ecosystem empowering startups and facilitating new-age solutions in the automobile industry. We are excited to welcome the selected startups to the AIC-T-Hub program. Over the next few months, startups will receive access to right mentorship, funding channels, and networking opportunities," said Mahankali Srinivas Rao (MSR), CEO of T-Hub.

"We are confident that this program will play a crucial role in helping startups scale their businesses and drive innovation in the automobile industry," added Rajesh Adla, CEO of AIC T-Hub Foundation.

Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) are greenfield incubation centers established under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) to provide necessary support and resources to startups, and drive innovation and entrepreneurship in India.The previous cohort's success metrics were impressive, including an INR 8 Cr customer order for Ermin Automotive, a 17 L grant for Nova Avenue, and market access for startups such as Smart City Maharashtra, Telangana Tourism, Goa Tourism, and GHMC. The AIC T-Hub program has had a tremendous impact in terms of the number of startups (74), funding secured (INR 15 Cr), and the number of mentors (100+), among other relevant impact numbers. 

The program commenced on April 5 and will end on July 5, with a Demo Day scheduled at the end of the program. Startups will benefit from exclusive access to potential investors and customers, mentorship from industry experts, and a chance to connect with other startups in the ecosystem. The program is focused on providing startups with access to world-class experts and resources to sharpen their understanding of the market, refine their business and product commercialization plans, and quickly test and certify their EVs.

For more information about the program and the selected startups, visit the program's website at https://programs.t-hub.co/mobility/

T-Hub (Technology Hub) is an innovation hub and ecosystem enabler. Based out of Hyderabad, India, T-Hub leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem and is the world’s largest innovation campus. Over the six years, T-Hub has pivoted around the 6Ms (Mentors, Market, Motivation, Manpower, Money, Methodologies) and 2Ps (Partnerships & Policy advisory) framework with a mission of driving results and collaboration for entrepreneurs’ success. It has delivered 100+ innovation programs so far, creating an impact for start-ups, corporations, and other innovation ecosystem stakeholders.  Since inception, it has provided over 2000 national and international start-ups with access to better technology, talent, mentors, customers, corporates, investors, and government agencies.

ABOUT AIM

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) intends to support the establishment of new greenfield incubation centers called Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) that would nurture innovative startups in their pursuit to become scalable and sustainable business enterprises. AIM will support these AICs in creating world-class incubation facilities across the country with the state-of-the-art physical infrastructure, in terms of capital equipment and operating facilities available to their incubated startups, coupled with the availability of sectoral experts for mentoring. Apart from this, business planning support, access to seed capital, industry partnerships, training and other relevant components required for supporting innovative startups will be provided.

Sustainable Mobility Startup Dandera Ventures Launching Its 1st Commercial EV Next Month

Dandera Founders - Kanav Manchanda, Sarth Jain and Kshitij Bajaj

• Announces Successful completion of road tests
• First Commercial vehicle designed from the ground up to be an EV; not modified or retrofitted from any existing ICE vehicle
• EV to set new Industry standards in performance and technology

Sustainable mobility startup Dandera Ventures today said that it is gearing up to launch its first commercial Electric Vehicle (EV) in the Indian market in September 2022. The company said that it has successfully completed road tests for the EV and is currently in the process of setting up charging stations and finalizing service locations ahead of the launch.

The first EV from Dandera will be exclusively targeted for use by last-mile delivery companies and independent delivery operators. Dandera added that the EV will feature industry-leading performance and capacity benchmarks and will be priced competitively. The upcoming vehicle has been completely designed from the ground up as an EV. All parts and components, including the batteries will be fully manufactured in India, for both Indian and export markets.

Dandera Ventures was founded four years ago by senior industry professionals Kanav Manchanda and Kshitij Bajaj. Kshitij has over 16 years of experience in automotive design and engineering and has earlier founded Ion Ohms, dedicated to designing and developing Lithium Phosphate batteries and Electric Drive kits. Kanav has over 16 years of experience in managing key functions of factory operations, finance and sales for different businesses.

Kanav Manchanda, Founder and COO of Dandera Ventures said, “Dandera was founded with a vision to develop world-class sustainable mobility products from the ground up. The successful completion of road tests for our first EV is a happy culmination of four years of research and development efforts in creating a fully indigenous electric vehicle and platform from scratch, and we are really proud that our very first EV will redefine industry benchmarks in design, performance and capacity.”

Unlike several other EV manufacturers that source batteries or drivetrain components from abroad, Dandera has designed and developed the underlying battery system and drivetrain technology completely in-house. The company employs more than 50 people in its R&D division located in Pune.

Kshitij Bajaj, Founder and CEO of Dandera Ventures said, “We have invested significant time and resources in ensuring that the design and ergonomics of Dandera’s first EV as well as the entire upcoming EV range will not only meet or exceed the expectations of our customers in India, but also redefine the value of investing in EVs as they embrace the future of sustainable mobility.”

Sarth Jain, Founder of Dandera Ventures said, “We firmly believe that the biggest disruptors and eventual leaders of the fast growing and yet highly-competitive EV market will be those companies that can design and develop complete automotive platforms and products end-to-end, and can truly innovate while doing so. Dandera is conceived to be one such company and we are thrilled to bring to the market our first vehicle next month, which we believe will revolutionize the commercial EV space.”

India’s commercial EV market has seen rapid growth in recent years. Electric three-wheelers made up 47% of all three-wheelers sold in the previous financial year, as per an analysis of the Indian government’s Vaahan database by EVreporter magazine. As per the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles (FAME) policy in FY23 budget document, the Indian government is supporting the growth of the EV industry through subsidies, favourable regulations and policies, 100% FDI approval, increased push for battery R&D, and improved charging infrastructure.

Tech Mobility Startup Automovill Forays in Pune

Automovill Pune Workshop

Adds 3 company owned Hubs and 20 partnered workshops in the city

Automovill, a full-stack mobility start-up has launched its operations in Pune. The brand has partnered with 20 car repair workshops and established 3 company owned Hubs in the first phase of expansion in the city. The new launch comes in line with the brand’s recently announced West India Expansion strategy. With this launch, Automovill has strengthened its retail presence too, in over 16 cities- Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Patna, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune & Calcutta

In response to the 250% rising demand witnessed by the brand post pandemic, it had recently rolled out its expansion plan for the ongoing financial year. The start-up aims at widening its footprint in West India and East India. The plans are to open operations in 5 more cities within this fiscal year itself.

The brand has efficiently delivered the car repair services in Pune for the last 6 months during their pilot to the B2B clients, additionally with the rising queries from end consumers it also launched B2C operations.

Automovill has strategically set up its Hubs in Pimpri, KadNagar and Saudagar of Pune city, in addition to 20 partnered workshops to cater the larger audience. The 3 Hubs alone hold a total capacity to serve over 200 cars per day.

On the brand Expansion Mr. Ramana Sambu, Co-Founder & CBO, Automovill said, “Pune is the 7th largest city in India and 2nd largest city in Maharashtra in terms of vehicle ownerships. We see a magnificent scope to cater to the needs of potential customers in the city. As we already have the experience with more than 10 Hubs successfully operating across the country, we affirm to provide Hassle free, Convenient and transparent Cost Effective services to Pune customers".

The brand currently is doing 3000 orders per month, and anticipates to clock a figure of 1.5 Lakh orders by the end of the current fiscal year.

About Automovill

Founded in 2016 in Guwahati, Automovill’s tech-enabled 360-degree approach enables impeccable customer experience by bringing trust, transparency, and convenience. Since its inception, the platform, co-founded by Mridu Mahendra Das and Chinmay Baruah and recently joined by Ramana Sambu as Co-Founder and CBO, has handled 100,000+ cars for both retail customers and B2B clients.

Headquartered in Bangalore, Automovill now has a presence in 12 cities with direct retail customers in Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, and Guwahati. The company also recently added Ramana Sambu to its founding team. Providing its service for nearly 2000 cars per month, Automovill has observed a massive 250% growth post-pandemic.