Maruti Suzuki awards PoC to 6 early-stage startups from East and Northeast India under its Nurture program

Maruti Suzuki India Limited announced the names of the six startups chosen under its Nurture programme, run in collaboration with IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP), in order to stimulate the startup ecosystem in East and Northeast India.

DriverShaab, Route2Jute, OiHelp, Hopun Innovations Pvt. Ltd., Backyard Creators Pvt. Ltd., and Salutem Ridegear were among the startups chosen. These firms provide additional services in the areas of driver aggregation services, jute-based accessories, hyperlocal delivery services, the creation of micro electric cars, non-surgical wearable hearing devices, and safety gear.

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The startups were judged on competencies like innovation, business model, relevance to Maruti Suzuki’s business operations, leadership & team structure, and revenue model.

The six selected startups will now undertake a paid Proof-of-Concept to assess the viability of their proposed business solutions in a real-world scenario. They were also presented with a cash reward of Rs. 50,000 each and secured further mentorship opportunities under Maruti Suzuki’s innovation programs. The Grand Idea Hunt finale took place in the presence of senior leadership of Maruti Suzuki and IIM Calcutta.

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The list of winning startups is as follows:

DriverShaab

DriverShaab is a Tech enabled on demand Driver aggregator Platform. Drivershaab provides personal Car Drivers to individual car owners via DriverShaab app.

Route2Jute

Route2Jute is a social enterprise that revives the jute industry by employing prisoners to produce fashionable, sustainable accessories and clothing.

OiHelp

OiHelp is a reliable logistics pick-up and drop-off service, last-mile hyperlocal delivery service, and ride-hailing app.

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Hopun Innovations

Hopun Innovations is developing a two-seater micro-electric vehicle for intracity transportation for both personal and business use.

Backyard Creators

The world's first non-surgical wearable hearing device for people with congenital hearing loss was developed by Backyard Creators, a health tech startup.

Salutem Ridegear

Salutem Ridegear is a manufacturer of safety gear for two-wheeler drivers, military personnel, and farm workers.

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Aiming to augment the startup ecosystem across the country through co-creating solutions relevant to the automobile industry, Maruti Suzuki has undertaken multiple initiatives. The Company collaborates with startups across level of maturity:

• Incubation program is targeted towards startups that are in the ideation to proof-of-concept stage
• Nurture program extends mentorship opportunities and an enabling growth environment to early-stage startups from the East and Northeast region to shape their ideas to reach a viable product stage
• Mobility & Automobile Innovation Lab (MAIL) engages technology-based startups that are at the budding stage
• Mobility Challenge focuses on growth-stage startups

Depending on the level of maturity, the startups are provided an enabling ecosystem with the right mentorship, networking, and growth opportunities under Maruti Suzuki Innovation programs. Selected startups also get an opportunity to test the viability of their solutions across various business verticals of Maruti Suzuki.  

About Maruti Suzuki India - Nuture

Maruti Suzuki India Limited has recently launched their pre incubation program Nuture in association with IIM Calcutta Innovation Park to promote and scout early stage startups in East and North East region of India.

The program aims to provide cohesive mentorship to early-stage tech startups to create innovative business solutions and enable an opportunity for them to launch their business in Maruti Suzuki Ecosystem or participate in Maruti Suzuki Innovation Programs.