Google and MeitY Startup Hub announce 2023 cohort of 100 Indian startups

Appscale Academy class of 2023 (Image source: Google)

Google and the Ministry of Electronics and IT's (MeitY's) Startup Hub on March 28 announced their 2023 cohort of 100 Indian startups as part of Appscale Academy.

The program aims to train early to mid-stage startups across India to build high-quality apps and games and help them grow into successful global businesses. The initiative was first announced in October 2021.

The cohort includes a diverse range of startups, such as Enguru (a live learning platform), BabyG (a parenting and baby development app), Louie Voice Control (an app that helps people operate other apps using their voice), and Dhenoo (a knowledge platform for dairy farmers).

Other startups in the cohort include EyeCan (an app that helps the visually impaired with virtual assistance), Neend (a mindfulness app that helps people sleep better), Glii (a Queer dating app), ProjectHero (a networking platform for construction workers), Kurukshetra (a strategy game inspired by Indian mythology), ZenOnco Cancer Care (an app for cancer patients and caregivers), and GeeCom India (an ecommerce platform for farmers).

The startups were chosen from over 950 applications by a joint committee comprising members of MeitY Startup Hub, Google, and other industry experts. The evaluation criteria included factors such as creative ideas and innovation, product quality, product scalability, and talent diversity.

37 percent of startups have women founders

Google mentioned that startups in the 2023 cohort primarily span across sectors such as education, health, social, agriculture and gaming. About 50 percent of the cohort hail from tier-two and tier-three cities including Varanasi, Ernakulam, Surat, Dehradun, Allahabad. About 37 percent of the startups have a woman founder, it said.

"The ongoing local tech revolution is fueling the country's economic growth and driving socio economic transformation on a global scale. India is the world’s largest startup hub in the world, with small and emerging towns and cities accounting for nearly 50% of recognized startups" said Akash Tripathi, CEO, MyGov.

Startups in Appscale Academy class of 2023 (Image source: Google)

Jeet Vijay, Chief Executive Officer, MeitY Startup Hub, added, “India stands tall worldwide when it comes to innovation and startups. We are a thriving economy with immense growth opportunities across sectors, including agritech, fintech, healthtech, and more. It’s great to see our local innovators capitalize on this opportunity and make a meaningful impact with their businesses"

As part of the 6-month programme, these 100 startups will be trained through a customized curriculum on various aspects of building successful apps for the global market, including UX design, business model and monetization strategies, best practices for international expansion, and data safety and security practices.

They will receive access to virtual instructor-led webinars, self-learning material, and mentorship sessions with several local and global industry professionals, and select startups will have an opportunity to pitch to venture capitalists for funding, the company said.

"The growth of our startups are inextricably linked with India’s emergence as a global innovation hub and it's critical that these innovators are supported with training and development that can help them power their success. Last year, we were thrilled to see our first cohort adapt learnings from the program to improve their product experience and grow their user base. We look forward to supporting a fresh cohort of 100 startups in scaling their app businesses" said Aditya Swamy, Director, Play Partnerships, Google Play.

India is among the biggest markets for Google Play in terms of app downloads and users. The country is also emerging as a key monetisation opportunity for Google Play, driven by the rising adoption of digital transactions in the country.

India is moving from a pure app consumption economy to an app development economy and is set to become a leading hub of global app innovation, Swamy told Moneycontrol last year.