Amazon Global Selling’s Propel Startup Accelerator—a program that has already helped over 70 Indian startups launch globally—is inviting the next generation of D2C brands.
This is in line with Amazon’s commitment to enable $20 billion in e-commerce exports from India by 2025. Applications open today until June 14, 2024. Season 4 will culminate in a Demo Day where selected participants will pitch their business propositions to leading VC firms and get a shot at funding to expand their operations.
“I am excited about the launch of the fourth season of Propel Accelerator. We had started this program to provide emerging companies an opportunity to bring their business propositions to life and create globally popular brands from India and we are doubling down on this promise in this season,” said Bhupen Wakankar, Director Global Trade at Amazon India.
Season 4 is bigger and better with an expanded range of benefits and support to help up to 50 startups from India launch in global markets this year.
Sirona, Ecoright, Minimalist, Haus & Kinder and Butterfly Edufields are some of the 70+ startups that launched globally since the Propel Accelerator program started in 2021.
Peak XV Partners, Fireside Ventures and more VCs to offer mentorship
Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, Peak XV Partners, Fireside Ventures, DSG Consumer Partners, Accel, V3 Ventures and Elevation Capital are the VC partners for the program in 2024. Amazon will also help participating startups connect with revenue-based-financing firms—Klub, Velocity and GetVantage—for curated offers that will help expand their business at scale. These stakeholders will provide up to 50 Indian startups with the right guidance and mentorship to create global brands. They will also serve on a panel to evaluate the winners of Propel Season 4.
Propel Season 4: The selection criteria and process
Startups in the consumer products space with a vision to expand their business to global markets can apply to be a part of Propel Startup Accelerator Season 4. Entries will be evaluated by an Amazon-led cross-disciplinary panel on the basis of the business idea, strength of the business plan/model, scalability, business metrics in launched markets and founding team credentials, among other factors. The top 250 applicants will be inducted into a two-month bootcamp where they will receive marketplace insights as well as compliance and logistics support to launch in global markets. 50 applicants will be shortlisted as the finalist cohort and inducted into the program. This cohort will receive 1:1 account management support from Amazon, including guidance on identifying key products and categories to sell globally, inventory planning, usage of digital marketing tools, preparing for global sale events, and much more.
Total rewards worth over $1.5 million
The cohort will get to interact with senior leaders from Amazon and the industry on go to market approach, product market-fit, and so on. The program will conclude with a Demo Day where the top 10 startups from the finalist cohort will pitch their business propositions to a panel comprising of leaders from Amazon, VC partners and others. In Season 4, participants have a chance to win total rewards worth over $1.5 million including AWS Activate credits and six months of free logistics and account management support. The top 3 winners will get a combined $100,000 in grants from Amazon.
Propel Season 4: bigger than Season 3
Season 3 of Propel, which was conducted through 2023-24, saw 1,200+ startups and emerging brands from 140 cities. “In the past, we have been inspired by brands who built from India for the world and considering the universal nature of a category like oral care, selling to global markets was always on the cards. A nudge in this direction came when we enrolled for the third season of the Propel Startup Accelerator in 2023,” says Tushar Khurana, co-founder of oral car brand Perfora, a Season 3 winner. “By participating in this program, we ended up expediting our market launch, connecting with the right peers to learn from their experiences and engaging with VC firms and other industry leaders to gain relevant insights. The Amazon team supported us from set up to launch and the program has played the role of a catalyst for our global ambitions,” adds Khurana.
For more information, please visit http://www.amazon.in/propel
