In 2021, time spent by users outside India on apps and games made by Indian companies increased by 150% compared to 2019 on Google Play, a sign of the potential and opportunity that startups and Indian developers today have to drive innovations in apps and games for the world. Aiming to help the next generation of Indian innovators unlock this growth opportunity, MeitY Startup Hub, an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Google today announced a cohort of 100 early-stage to mid-stage Indian startups it aims to help create high-quality global apps and games as part of the Appscale Academy.
A growth and development program of MeitY Startup Hub and Google, Appscale Academy’s goal is to identify and support promising Indian startups and help them grow into successful global businesses. The 100 startups were chosen from more than 400 entries following an extensive selection process that considered their creative ideas and innovation, product quality, product scalability, and diversity of talent.
Bhuvnesh Kumar, Co-Secretary of MeitY, added, “Startups and developers are key drivers of India’s digital transformation journey. We see them delivering meaningful solutions for India and the world. At MeitY, We appreciate our partnership with Google, and it gives me great pleasure to further reinforce this spirit of innovation with the Appscale Academy program.
Startups in the Appscale Academy cohort are solving some of India’s everyday, critical and unique needs through local creative solutions, including BitClass (a live learning platform), Farmyng Club (a social platform for farmers to improve their livelihoods), Kutuki (preschool learning), Sunita’s Makerspace (a community to foster innovation), Stamurai (a platform providing affordable and quality speech therapy), LearnVern (a professional training app offering courses of vernacular languages), Vivasayam (an app promoting organic farming), and many more.
The main sectors of the cohort cover education, healthcare, finance, social, e-commerce and gaming. It also includes startups supporting major communities in India through creative apps in agriculture, B2B, parenting, and more. Representing the diversity of talent emerging within India’s startup and developer ecosystem, 35% of the cohort come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities including Surat, Vadodara, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Morbi and many more. ‘others. 58% of the cohort have a woman in a leadership role.
In her remarks at the launch of the program, Purnima Kochikar, Vice President, Play Partnerships, Google, said: “Today, India is uniquely positioned to become a hub of global innovation in apps, providing huge opportunities for Indian startups across the country, regardless of size and location, to thrive in the global app ecosystem. We thank MeitY Startup Hub for its partnership and vision and we look forward to taking another step together towards growing a diverse app ecosystem in India.
Jeet Vijay, CEO of MeitY Startup Hub, said, “Our mission with Appscale Academy is to empower early to mid-stage startups with the knowledge and mentorship to drive app and game innovations for the world. Our cohort of 100 Indian startups ensure that a local solution for many of our day-to-day, critical and unique needs is within reach today. Congratulations to all startups and thank you for being the main drivers of India’s digital journey.
As part of the 6-month program, 100 startups will be trained through a customized curriculum designed to help them develop high-quality applications for a global market, including sessions on UX design, business model and marketing strategies. monetization, international expansion best practices, and data protection and security practices. Startups will have access to instructor-led virtual webinars, self-study materials, and mentorship sessions with leading local and global professionals. Select startups will also have the opportunity to pitch to leading venture capitalists.
