Flipkart accelerator for startups: E-commerce company Flipkart on Friday invited applications from startups for the third cohort of its startup accelerator programme Flipkart Leap. The selected startups will get the opportunity to work and collaborate with product teams, and network with technology leaders within Flipkart to run pilots.
Startups part of the programme will be able to offer their solutions across Flipkart’s large base of customers, collaborate closely with product teams, and network with Flipkart’s technology leaders to run pilots with various business units.
The accelerator programme offers $150K – $500K pre-seed and seed funding through the $100 million Flipkart Ventures fund announced earlier this year by Flipkart. The programme ends with a demo day with invite-only venture capital firms to enable future rounds of funding.
Startups across the globe focusing on user and seller experiences, inventory and supply chain, payments and credit in the e-commerce ecosystem can apply for the program. The programme will enable mentorship with industry leaders and subject matter experts and provide access to resources helping startups contribute to India’s growing e-commerce space, Flipkart said.
Naren Ravula, Vice President and Head of Product Strategy and Flipkart Labs, said, “We started the Flipkart Leap Innovation Network to provide startups with an opportunity to bring their business propositions to life and to further strengthen our culture of innovation. The program garnered remarkable attention from startups in the first two cohorts, exhibiting immense interest, innovative ideas, and a strong entrepreneurial drive.”
Also read: Flipkart’s Samarth initiative for artisans sees 300% growth in seller base: Company
In the second cohort, six startups Sangti (logistics), VTION Digital Analytics and Anagog (user intelligence solutions), Speedsize (media optimization), SignalIX (AI-based due diligence for small businesses), and Botika (generative AI for cataloguing) were selected to execute the pilots with Flipkart. For the first cohort, four startups Ashfield, ElixiaTech, Intellewings, and TryndBuy were picked.
Meanwhile, Flipkart recently announced crossing the 1.4 million seller mark with a 27 per cent growth over last year ahead of its Big Billion Days sale. In July this year, Flipkart announced six policy changes for sellers under its Flipkart EDGE initiative focusing on pricing recommendations, promotions, rewards platform, fulfilment and speed initiatives, and guidance assistance to improve cost efficiency and sustainability of MSMEs selling on the marketplace.