- soles,
EcoRight and Go Desi receive $100,000 cumulatively as a stock-free exchange ofAmazon . - More than 1,000 entries have been received for Amazon Global Selling Propel Startup Accelerator Season 2 launched earlier this year to help Indian startups go global.
- The 15 shortlisted startups underwent an 8-week mentoring program hosted by Amazon.
Amazon
The three winners will cumulatively receive a $100,000 grant from Amazon for global expansion. Solethreads came out on top, while Ecoright and GoDesi took a close second.
Solethreads, a Delhi-based flip-flops startup that started in 2019, sells casual slippers and shoes in various states in India.
“Over the past few months, we’ve had many opportunities to interact with industry peers, VCs and colleagues. We learned about the nuances of building a global business, serving global customers with different preferences, the benefits of going directly to customers around the world, and more. This is just the beginning for us,” said Vikram Iyer, co-founder of Solethreads.
EcoRight is an Ahmedabad-based startup that sells sustainable tote bags and employs 90% of women as factory workers. The company won second prize in the Amazon Global Selling Propel Startup Accelerator in Delhi.
GoDesi, one stop for sweets and
mithais, was the third winner of the accelerator program.
“India is the third largest hub of the startup ecosystem with more than 75,000 companies. Of these, 57% were conceived in tier 2 and 3 cities,” said Deepak Bagal, managing director and CEO of Invest India, at the event.
Also, 60% of registered startups in the e-commerce space have at least one female director, Bagal added.
‘Startups can now focus on the product, not on compliance’
More than 1000 startups and emerging brands had signed up for the program. From these, top 15 were selected as finalists, including Almo, Avishkaar, Belora, EcoRight, Eske, Go Desi, Greencure, Hathmic, IVEI, Masterchow, Minimalist, Shumee, Sleepy Owl Coffee, SoleThreads and The Artment.
Launched in January 2021, the Amazon Global Selling Propel Accelerator program is designed to help consumer product startups expand globally and become international brands.
The second season of Propel Accelerator was launched in February 2022 in partnership with Accel, DSG Consumer Partners, Fireside Ventures and Sequoia Capital India.
“Even a small player in India can now only focus on the product and not worry about compliance and logistics or advertising. Information about customer demographics is readily available. It unlocks the entrepreneurial spirit of India. In the past 17 months alone, $2 billion in cumulative exports have been shipped from India,” said Raghav Rao, VP of Finance, India and emerging, Amazon India at the event.
As part of the program, a cohort of selected startups will receive a 1:1 mentorship from industry leaders, a platform to interact with investors and receive hands-on support to go global. slurp farm,
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