One of India’s biggest e-commerce websites, Flipkart, has announced the launch of its first startup accelerator program-Flipkart Leap. As a part of this program, the company will invest time and money in a wide range of early stage startups to help them reach their full potential.
“To strengthen India’s startup ecosystem and build a community of local entrepreneurs, we are thrilled to launch Flipkart Leap – our very own startup accelerator program,” the company said in a blog post, announcing the program.
As a part of a this 16 week long endeavour, the company will provide the usual accelerator program stuff. These include hands-on workshops, one-on-one mentor sessions, master classes from industry experts and networking events designed to turbo-charge a startup’s journey.
Additionally, Flipkart is also aiming to invest in early-stage startups with a working prototype and early adoption metrics from a range of backgrounds. First, if your startup fits the headline “Design and Make for India,” that is, if you aim to provide Consumer & Technology Products that are built for Indian consumers, or plan to digitize predominantly offline sectors in a Post-Covid world such as Agritech, Edtech, Healthtech etc, Flipkart leap might just be the right program for you. Moreover, you will also have piqued Flipkart’s interest if your startup provides “India Tech Stack based ideas, and Other New India platforms to enable the next 500MN users to become digital natives.”
You can also earn yourself a place in the Leap accelerator program if your company offers innovation in digital commerce, i.e., New frameworks and vertical specific solutions that enhance customer buying experiences, Loyalty, Rewards & Affordability constructs to engage and retain customers, and Innovation in User Engagement models. You will also get brownie points for devising Disruptive Technology & Business models.
You can’t spell Flipkart without ‘kart’, and being a key player in the market, the company has a soft corner for retail. Thus, if your startup brings technologies to power the retail ecosystem, by using Platform Seller Capabilities providing intelligence, insights & tools for online sellers to grow business, or if you think your company has the potential to Accelerate digitization of Kirana and SME/MSME, improving their operational efficiency, innovation in financial products etc., Flipkart Leap encourages you to become a part of its growing family.
Supply Chain Management and Logistics companies that want to improve Speed, Transparency and Optimisation, and provide Innovation in Automation, Devices and New technologies, as well as Sustainable product, processes & technologies to make the SC greener are welcome to try their luck as well. The company also invites startups providing hyperlocal delivery solutions, which is in line with its latest project-Flipkart Quick.
And last but not least, Flipkart is also inviting any company that enables relevant Deep Tech applications and can help mold ML/AI to suit e-commerce. Other technology areas like Blockchain, Internet of Things, Edge Devices, Big data etc will also be taken into consideration.
Now that we know which companies qualify for the program, we have to dive into what they are qualifying for. Not only will selected startups avail access to Flipkart’s Ecosystem (which is a big deal as it is), they will also be liable to an equity free grant of $25,000. Moreover, they can forge possible partnerships with Flipkart and its partners and get technical and Business Mentorship from experts in Flipkart’s Network.
The first stage of the program starts today, that is the 10th of August. Today, the program will start registering applications from startups, which will go on till the end of next month, i.e. 30th September. From the 10th of October, Flipkart will start conducting 1 on 1 business meetings with selected startups, and announce the winners and the launch of the cohort in just 5 days. The Demo day, or the commencement of the program will happen next year, on the 28th of Feb.
You can Apply for the program right here.
