Maruti Suzuki India has invited entries from start-ups for the fifth cohort under its Mobility & Automobile Innovation Lab (MAIL) initiative. The company has collaborated with 18 start-ups selected in the previous four rounds of the program.

Launched in January 2019, MAIL supports startups by providing them with industry exposure and offers them an opportunity to work on technology and solutions that can be applied in real-world business scenarios. The OEM has invited applications from early-stage startups that are working in the mobility and automobile space.

The selected startups get an opportunity to undertake paid proof of concept (PoC) with the company to develop industry-ready solutions for any live case across business functions like - Marketing & Sales, Engineering, Service, Production, Logistics, Warehousing, Spare Parts, and Accessories. The start-ups also get an opportunity to implement their innovative solutions and validate them for business readiness.

Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India said, “We are extremely delighted to have completed two years of collaborating and promoting the start-up fraternity through our MAIL program. We have successfully engaged with 18 start-ups and have enabled 10 POCs. As a next step, in the fifth cohort, we look forward to engage with more startups with innovative ideas for the automobile industry. Entrepreneurs with disruptive ideas, especially in light of the ongoing pandemic situation, can apply for the fifth cohort of our MAIL initiative.”

The carmaker has partnered with GHV Accelerator – an Indo-Japanese early-stage seed fund, to identify and address the early-stage startups with innovative and customer-oriented solutions. The participating startups will be provided with an opportunity to turn their innovative ideas into practical disruptive solutions and showcase their entrepreneurial capabilities. Maruti Suzuki says as of today it has onboarded two startups as business partners. Out of the 18 startups currently associated with Maruti Suzuki India, four are undergoing acceleration with the company.

Interested start-ups across India can apply for the program by visiting the MAIL website.