Maruti Suzuki invites entries for its fourth start-up factory programme

Maruti Suzuki India has invited startups for the fourth cohort under its Mobility & Automobile Innovation Lab (MAIL) initiative. The MAIL program was launched in January 2019 to supports startups by co-creating innovative business solutions in the mobility space, with the aim that the futuristic solutions being developed will have a positive impact on business.

At present, Maruti Suzuki India is now engaged with nine startup firms selected in the previous three rounds of MAIL program. In the first three cohorts, many enthusiastic startups submitted entries. Of these, best 25 firms from each cohort were invited for the next round. While the third cohort is still on, a total of nine startups were selected from first two cohorts of MAIL program. Under the MAIL program, applications are invited from startups working in the areas of mobility and automobile space.

The initiative winners get an opportunity to undertake paid proof of concept (POC) with Maruti Suzuki to develop business solutions for any live use case. The teams also get opportunity for real-time implementation of the solutions offered. Currently, seven POCs are underway in the company.

Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India said, “Indian startup community is working on bright technology ideas, which can help the automobile industry. Our MAIL initiative is aligned with the company’s spirit to collaborate and innovate. Our experience with startups in the first three cohorts is very encouraging and together we are moving towards technology-led solutions for our business. MAIL program is aimed at tapping early-stage startups and help them to convert their innovative ideas into ground-breaking solutions. We look forward to more disruptive ideas in our fourth cohort of MAIL.”

Maruti Suzuki has partnered with GHV Accelerator – an Indo-Japanese early stage seed fund, to identify and address the early-stage startups with innovative, practical 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.

The nine startups currently associated with MSIL include:

The carmaker says the selected startups will be mentored by a number of industry experts in the domestic and international startup ecosystem. Interested startups across India can apply for the program by clicking here.