Meet the 10 startups chosen for the Amazon accelerator programme

Ecommerce giant Amazon on Thursday announced that it had shortlisted 10 startups for its accelerator programme, dubbed Amazon Global Selling Propel (AGSP) Accelerator.

Those chosen will have the opportunity to showcase their business propositions to venture capital firms Sequoia Capital India and Fireside Ventures, and win an equity-free grant of $50,000 from Amazon, a statement said.

The startups were selected from over 500 applications from 120 cities weeks before the program was launched in January 2021, the statement said.

The programme looks to support emerging Indian brands to reach a global customer base through  Amazon’s Global Selling Programme and offer mentorship as well.

“It is a great opportunity for Indian startups to showcase their Made in India innovation and entrepreneurial spirit at an international scale and create a truly global consumer brand,” Abhijit Kamra, director of global trade at Amazon India, said.

“Amazon Global Selling, our flagship programme to grow exports from India, is witnessing tremendous momentum with increasing interest from exporters across the country. Our partnership with Startup India to launch this accelerator programme will provide emerging brands with an opportunity to bring their business propositions to life,” he said. “With Amazon Global Selling, we will continue to make exports simple and accessible to businesses of all sizes and fulfil our commitment of enabling $10 billion in e-commerce exports from India by 2025.”

Amazon Global Selling was launched in 2015 with about 100 exporters. Today, it has more than 70,000 Indian exporters selling Made in India products to customers worldwide, the company claimed.

Here’s a look at the startups in the accelerator programme.

Azani Active: Launched in 2018 by Siddharth Suchde, Azani is a Bengaluru-based firm that claims to be high-performance nutrition and personal care brand created by athletes, nutritionists and fitness experts. The brand seeks to expand its offerings across geographies, with a focus on entering North American and European markets, and foray into the Middle Eastern and Australian markets.

D’Moksha Homes: Launched in 2019 by Nimisha and Manav Dhanda, Mumbai-based D’Moksha is an eco-friendly home linen brand. It claims to offer handcrafted and environment-friendly home linen made with sustainable fabrics such as hemp. Currently listed on Amazon with fulfilment for the US, Mexico and Canada markets, D’Moksha Homes plans to enter the Japanese, West Asian and European markets.

Femora: The Jaipur-based kitchenware brand makes utensils and storage products. It was launched in 2019 by Manushree Khandelwal and aims to get international exposure, expanding sales to enter the UAE and other global markets.

Rage Coffee: Launched in 2018 by Bharat Sethi, the Delhi-based brand manufactures, markets and distributes coffee products. Its products include a proprietary batch of crystallised instant coffee infused with plant-based vitamins. The brand looks to enter the US and European markets.

Sirona: New Delhi-based feminine hygiene brand Sirona sells products such as stand-and-pee devices for women, PeeBuddy; natural period pain patches for menstrual cramps; and natural-coloured pads, menstrual cups and tampons. The Deep and Mohit Bajaj-founded firm looks to expand its presence in India and the US, followed by the UK, Germany, Singapore, Dubai and Australia.  It was founded in 2015.

Slurrp Farm: Founded in 2016 by Shauravi Malik, Umang Bhattacharya and Meghana Narayan, Slurrp Farm is a healthy foods brand that looks to reach young children. The Gurugram-based brand offers nutritious food mixes such as cereals, porridges, pancake mixes, cake mixes, and alternative sugars like jaggery and coconut sugar. It seeks to enter global markets including UAE, Singapore, the UK and the USA.

Soulflower: The 20-year-old firm, which runs a homegrown personal care brand, was founded by Amit Sarda and Natasha Tuli in Mumbai. It offers natural and plant-based beauty products. Soulflower aims to scale up and reach customers in multiple geographies and compete with mainland manufacturers. Currently live in the US, UAE, UK, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, the brand aims to go live in Japan, Australia and Canada.

True Elements: Founded by Puru Gupta and Sreejith Moolayil in 2014, the brand offers plant-based, wholefood breakfast and snack products that fall under the ‘clean-label foods’ category. It is available on Amazon, and the brand plans to enter the US, Japan and West Asian markets.

Why Wait: Launched in 2013 in Gurugram by Amandeep Singh, the hygiene and personal care brand offers skincare, hair care and body care products made from herbal and all-natural ingredients. The brand plans to enter North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, West Asia and Africa.

Wellbeing Nutrition: Launched in 2019 by Avnish Chhabria, the Mumbai-based Wellbeing Nutrition is organic certified, plant-based vitamins and whole food nutrition supplements brand. Its products are available across daily wellness, sleep, headaches, gut health, hair loss and skincare segments. The brand plans to enter the US, the UK, UAE and EU markets.