Amazon India announced the launch of its “Mentor Connect” program on April 11th. It is designed to accelerate the growth of startups and emerging brand owners registered under their Amazon Launchpad initiative.
The program will give startups and emerging brands access to guidance from venture capital firms, industry veterans, and Amazon leaders through expert knowledge sharing sessions, networking events, and one-on-one mentoring sessions, a statement said.
Mentors from educational institutions and VC firms such as Fireside Ventures, DSG Consumer Partners, Elevation Capital and Tomorrow Capital have already signed up for the program to contribute to the growth story of the Indian start-up.
“Startups and emerging brands participating in the Amazon Launchpad program can access guides from these mentors in a number of ways, including one-on-one mentoring with selected mentors over a period of three months and ongoing networking. Opportunities with a broader industry pool of experts or meetings to share knowledge between these experts and other Launchpad brands, “the statement said.
This provides entrepreneurs with a platform to engage, learn, and introduce their startups to the industry’s leading subject matter experts to help address strategic and functional challenges.
“The Amazon Mentor Connect program is not limited to just startups and aspiring brand owners participating in the Amazon Launchpad program, but will be expanded to include winners of the Amazon Smbhav Entrepreneurship Challenge at the upcoming Amazon Smbhav Summit,” it said in the statement.
The winners will be the first group of startups to receive the benefits associated with the Amazon Mentor Connect program.
Amazon Launchpad currently showcases over 2 lakh products offered by more than 800 emerging brands in 30 different product categories. Popular industries served by these brands include health and personal care products, beauty and grooming products, groceries, and household products.
The second edition of “Amazon Smbhav” will be held from April 15-18, 2021.
“India has a large start-up ecosystem that is vital to disrupting innovation and accelerating India’s progress towards becoming an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Most of these start-ups are run by first-time entrepreneurs who are the Passionate about driving change, but lacking the experience Pranav Bhasin, Director of Amazon India (MSME and Selling Partner Experience) said he has to face the challenges they face along the way.
The goal of the Amazon Mentor Connect program is to create a support system that will help startups achieve their potential by receiving the right type of mentoring to scale their business, avoid blind spots, and get out of the Learn from the experiences of existing managers. Open new doors and help them open up endless possibilities for a digital India, he added.
“We want to understand the challenges at the grassroots level, understand trends, and find ways to solve these problems for emerging brands. Additionally, like us, VCs are always looking for opportunities to meet new and emerging brands,” said Prayag Mohanty, Senior Vice President at Fireside Ventures said.
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