Maruti Suzuki Selects Five Start-ups in the Third Batch of its MAIL Program With the latest batch of five startups, so far a total of 14 startups have been enrolled under the Mobility & Automobile Innovation Lab (MAIL) programme since its launch in January 2019
By Prabhjeet Bhatla •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Automobile giant Maruti Suzuki has shortlisted five startups in the third cohort of its accelerator programme Mobility & Automobile Innovation Lab (MAIL).
The five startups enrolled in the latest batch include location tracking solutions provider Clean Slate, robotics company Peer Robotics, Vicara, a motion gesture and analytics recognition startup, AR/VR-powered customer engagement solution provider Hyper Reality and URJA, which provides IOT solution to monitor energy utilization at machine / device level.
With the latest batch of these five startups, so far a total of 14 startups have been enrolled under the MAIL programme since its launch in January 2019.
Also Read: 14 Indian Startups Make it to Y Combinator's Summer 2020 Batch
The country's largest carmaker launched MAIL in collaboration with GHV Accelerator to nurture innovation in the automobile and mobility sector. The MAIL flagship initiative intends to "create an environment to nurture, foster and guide the early-stage start-ups," as per the company.
Bengaluru-based Clean Slate Technologies stood as the winner of the program, followed by Peer Robotics from Gurgaon as the first runner up and Vicara from Bengaluru as the second runner up. They will now engage with Maruti Suzuki for paid projects and will also be entitled for other benefits associated with the program, the company said.
Additionally, the top three startups will also get an opportunity to undertake a paid Proof-of-Concept with Maruti Suzuki for actual business use of their technologies.
Commenting on the company's efforts towards coaching start-ups, Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director and chief executive officer, Maruti Suzuki, said, "The auto industry is extremely dynamic and faces new challenges frequently. The lookout for new technological aids to assist the industry and continue working efficiently is an ever-evolving task. Our flagship MAIL programme is now in its third cohort and in each round we come across several innovative ideas that solve real-life industrial challenges."
The shortlisting process consisted of screening and pitch sessions. The domain experts at Maruti Suzuki counsel and direct the start-ups to create the right product fit by conducting several discussions.
"MAIL programme focuses on offering a platform to these early stage startups where they can translate their big ideas into business solutions. Besides, this they get a unique opportunity to get the idea validated and approved by Maruti Suzuki's domain experts. We are excited to partner with the shortlisted start-ups and be a part of their growth story," Ayukawa added.
