April 3, 2015: The National Association of Software and Services Companies marked the second anniversary of its 10,000 Start-up Program to create 10,000 domain specific start-ups in the country by 2020. As the 10,000 start-up program keeps rolling to its fourth phase of shortlisting, Phase 3 had 500 startup shortlists who went through pitch and mentoring konnect sessions. Applications are currently being processed on FIFO basis till 22nd April for the next session of Startup Konnect which is a mini boot-camp program for shortlisted startups who will be eligible for connect-2- pitch with all ecosystem partners including leading accelerators, angel investor networks and venture capital firms.
We are impressed by 10,000 Startups’ work to foster a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in India. We are very excited for the fourth phase of 10,000 Startups Program that enables entrepreneurs to connect with investors and mentors to grow and expand.” added, Mary Grove, Director, Google for Entrepreneurs “Microsoft Ventures has been working with NASSCOM 10,000 startups to accelerate high potential startups and we are delighted to see the impact of our partnership. Many of the startups we have helped gain traction through our accelerator programs were previously incubated in the 10K Warehouse and the startups have benefitted from both programs immensely. We are positive that this partnership will continue to build a stronger ecosystem for startups in India and provide them promising future.” said, Ravi Narayan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ventures India .
About 10,000 Startups
Started in April 2013, 10,000 Startups is an ambitious attempt by NASSCOM to scale up the startup ecosystem in India by 10x. 10,000 Startups aims to enable incubation, funding and support for 10,000 technology startups in India over the next ten years. The program’s vision is to foster entrepreneurship, build entrepreneurial capabilities at scale and strengthen early stage support for tech startups. The initiative brings together key stakeholders of the ecosystem including startup incubators, accelerators, angel investors, venture capitalists, startup support groups, mentors, and technology corporations. Since its launch in April 2013, we’ve done about 450+ events in 22 cities of the country which were attended by a whopping 25,000 attendees and received 9000 Applicants, 800 Startups Shortlists, and 150 Impacts. The program is supported by our founding partner Google for Entrepreneurs, Microsoft Ventures, Intel, and Kotak Mahindra Bank.