Maruti Suzuki Selects Nine Startups for Ninth Accelerator Program Cohort

Maruti Suzuki India Limited announced the winners of its ninth Accelerator program cohort on June 19, selecting nine startups to participate in proof-of-concept development with the automotive manufacturer. The program included six Indian startups—Frinks AI, mistEO, Adagrad, Com Olho, ProSolvr, and Eligere—alongside three German companies: Caire AI, Syn2Core, and Talonic.

This cohort marked the first time the program included international participants under a new Global Startups category. Twenty-six startups presented solutions at the program's finale, with 19 from India and seven from Germany competing for selection.

The chosen startups will work directly with Maruti Suzuki's internal teams to test and validate their technologies in real-world automotive manufacturing and mobility applications. The selected companies offer solutions across cybersecurity, road safety, quality control, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and battery swapping technologies.

"Startups bring fresh thinking and new ideas," said Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India Limited. "The participation of global startups, this cohort onwards, marks a new milestone in this journey."

Maruti Suzuki launched its Accelerator program in January 2019 as part of its innovation strategy. The company has since developed multiple startup engagement programs, including an Incubation Program started in August 2020, a Mobility Challenge initiated in June 2021, and Nurture, a pre-incubation program for early-stage companies that began in 2023.

Over six years, the automotive manufacturer has screened more than 5,000 startups, engaged with 150 companies, and established partnerships with 25 startups that now provide services to the business. The company positions these programs as supporting the Indian government's "Startup India" and "Make in India" initiatives.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited operates as the country's largest passenger vehicle manufacturer and is a subsidiary of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corporation.