Google, MeitY to help 100 Indian startups build apps for world

Google and MeitY Startup Hub, an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), on Wednesday announced a cohort of 100 Indian early to mid-stage startups, to help these startups build high-quality global apps and games as part of the Appscale Academy. As part of the six-month programme, the 100 startups will be trained through a customised curriculum designed to help them drive high-quality apps for a global market.

"Startups and developers are key drivers of India's digital transformation journey. We at MeitY value our partnership with Google, and it gives me immense delight to further boost this spirit of innovation with the Appscale Academy Programme," said Bhuvnesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, MeitY. Startups of the Appscale Academy cohort are solving for some of India's critical needs through creative homegrown solutions.

These include BitClass (a live learning platform), Farmyng Club (a social platform for farmers to improve their livelihood), Kutuki (preschool learning app), Sunita's Makerspace (a community to foster innovation), Stamurai (a platform offering affordable and high-quality speech therapy), LearnVern (a job-oriented skilling app offering courses in vernacular languages), Vivasayam (an app promoting organic farming), and many more.

"India is uniquely positioned to become a leading hub for global app innovation with tremendous opportunity for Indian startups across the country, regardless of size and location, to thrive in the global app ecosystem," said Purnima Kochikar, Vice President, Play Partnerships, Google. The 100 startups were chosen from over 400 applications following an in-depth selection process.

Representing the talent diversity emerging among India's startup and developer ecosystem, 35 per cent of the cohort come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, including Surat, Vadodara, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Morbi, and many others. Nearly 58 per cent of the cohort have a woman in a leadership role.

"Our mission with Appscale Academy is to empower early to mid-stage startups with the right knowledge and mentorship to drive app and game innovations for the world," said Jeet Vijay, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub.