NASSCOM marked the second anniversary of its 10,000 Start-up Program to create 10,000 domain specific start-ups in the country by 2020. As the 10,000 start-up program keeps rolling to its fourth phase of shortlisting, Phase 3 had 500 startup shortlists who went through pitch & mentoring Konnect sessions.
Applications are currently being processed on FIFO basis till 22nd April for the next session of Startup Konnect which is a mini boot-camp program for shortlisted startups who will be eligible for connect-2-pitch with all ecosystem partners including leading Accelerators, Angel investor networks & venture capital firms.
Speaking at the occasion, Rajat Tandon, Senior Director, NASSCOM 10,000 Startups stated
Startups are the lifeblood of our economy. We today have the support of 150 volunteer mentors, industry specialists, angel investors & VCs, as well as a startup alumni network like no other.
We can proudly say that through its phases the 10,000 start-ups program has been able to carve out many success stories across domains. Now with the roll out of the fourth phase, we are looking to accelerate more startups who will re-define the technology landscape of the country.
Speaking at the occasion Mary Grove, Director, Google for Entrepreneurs said
We are impressed by 10,000 Startups’ work to foster a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in India. We are very excited for the fourth phase of 10,000 Startups Program that enables entrepreneurs to connect with investors and mentors to grow and expand.
Ravi Narayan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ventures India said
Microsoft Ventures has been working with NASSCOM 10,000 startups to accelerate high potential startups and we are delighted to see the impact of our partnership. Many of the startups we have helped gain traction through our accelerator programs were previously incubated in the 10K Warehouse and the startups have benefited from both programs immensely. We are positive that this partnership will continue to build a stronger ecosystem for startups in India and provide them promising future.
Application Process for startups
- Startups need to apply for the program here
- Startups should provide a detailed overview of their business idea and the market opportunity.
- Approximately 200 startups will be shortlisted for the 4th batch, handpicked by the ecosystem partners.
Benefits of the Program
- Shortlisted startups will participate in the intensive accelerator pitch & mentoring connect sessions starting June 1st week across Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad
- They also get a Start-up Kit – a package worth $25,000 of value added services and credits from Google, Microsoft, AWS, Knowlarity, HackerRank and Kotak
About 10,000 Startups
Started in April 2013, 10,000 Startups is an ambitious attempt by NASSCOM to scale up the startup ecosystem in India by 10x. 10,000 Startups aims to enable incubation, funding and support for 10,000 technology startups in India over the next ten years. The initiative brings together key stakeholders of the ecosystem including startup incubators, accelerators, angel investors, venture capitalists, startup support groups, mentors, and technology corporations.
Since its launch in April 2013, they have done about 450+ events in 22 cities of the country which were attended by a whopping 25,000 attendees and received 9000 Applicants, 800 Startups Shortlists, and 150 Impacts.
The program is supported by founding partner Google for Entrepreneurs, Microsoft Ventures, Intel and Kotak Mahindra Bank.