The startups will get a grant of Rs. 20 lakh each under the program, which has been launched in association with MeitY Startup Hub
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat University Startup And Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC) will support 10 startups working with Extended Reality (XR) technologies under the“XR Startup Program” of Meta and MeitY Startup Hub.
The XR Startup Program has been designed to act as a platform to identify and foster startups working on XR (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality & Mixed Reality) technologies. The program, launched by Meta and MeitY Startup Hub last week, includes an Accelerator Program and a Grand Challenge.
GUSEC is one of the implementation partners for the Accelerator Program and will focus on the Western Indian region for it. The Council will focus on pan India for the Grand Challenge in Education, Learning and Skills.
The program was launched last week by Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in New Delhi. Meta’s Global Vice President of Public Policy Shri Joel Kaplan, who is based in Washington DC, was also present at this program.
Rahul Bhagchandani, Group CEO of GUSEC said, “GUSEC has played a pivotal role in shaping and nurturing the startup ecosystem of Gujarat since its inception. As an implementation partner of the XR Startup Program, we aim to continue supporting the youth towards the creation of future technologies in India, contributing to the dream of a self-reliant country.”
Under the Accelerator program, GUSEC will support 10 startups working with XR technologies through a six-month acceleration program with benefits including a grant of Rs. 20 lakh each, mentorship by industry experts, access to potential strategic partners and investors, technology and infrastructure support, and opportunities to participate and present at industry events.
Rajiv Aggarwal, Director and Head of Public Policy, India, Facebook India (Meta), said, “We are excited to launch the XR Startup Hub in collaboration with MeitY Startup Hub. We hope it will provide a stimulus to India’s vibrant tech ecosystem in creating strong foundations for the immersive technologies across sectors like education, healthcare, agritech and tourism.”
The Grand Challenge will encourage early-stage XR innovators in Education, Learning and Skills sector to upscale from the R&D phase to developing workable products and services. At first, 20 innovators will be shortlisted to attend a boot camp and given a shortlist grant of Rs. 50,000. Of them, four innovators will be provided grants of Rs. 20 lakh each and further support to help them develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)/prototype.
Jeetendra Vijay, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub, said “GUSEC is one of India’s leading startup support systems, which has carved a niche for itself by facilitating startup support at zero cost. We are delighted to have them onboard as one of the implementation partners under the XR Startup Program launched with Meta. The program aims to accelerate India’s contribution towards building the foundations of the metaverse and nurturing the development of Extended Reality (XR) technologies in India.”Other implementation partners institutions for the XR Startup Program are FITT, IIT Delhi for the accelerator in the north, and the grand challenge in Healthcare, Sikkim Manipal University for the accelerator in the east and the grand challenge in Agritech, Climate Action, Tourism and Sustainability, and CIE-IIIT Hyderabad for the accelerator in the south, and the grand challenge in Gaming and Entertainment.
Applications for the accelerator program are open until October 13 and for the Grand Challenge until October 13. Applications can be made at gusec.edu.in/xr. Applications for other partners can be accessed through the link: https://meitystartuphub.in/public/xr-startup-program.
