BANGALORE: GSF Accelerator, among the most active early-stage incubators in the country, has entered into a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) Global Startup Labs that is expected to foster a strong exchange programme benefiting entrepreneurs from both countries.
The cross-border exchange will see Global Startup Labs get access to GSF India - the country's largest early-stage startup accelerator. In turn, startups from Boston can come in for stints at GSF's offices across the country.
"MIT has a mandate to go to emerging economies, share its expertise, and contribute to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem," said Brij Bhasin, entrepreneur-in-residence at GSF India. In return, GSF's startups will gain access to MIT's mobile technology expertise as exchange residents at the institute in Boston.
"We see a cross-pollination of ideas and technology expertise taking place. While MIT has previously participated in similar programmes in Africa and India, this will be the first time they have entered into a strategic partnership along these lines," Bhasin said.
Separately, MIT will also send a select number of PhD students to mentor GSF startups at each of the latter's accelerator bases in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. The students selected will be from the Ivy League university's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Sloan School of Management. GSF India, which acts as a 'super accelerator', is also looking to partner with other institutions to build a collaborative network, according to Bhasin.
The startup accelerator, launched in 2012 by former Reliance Entertainment president and GSF Superangels founder Rajesh Sawhney, is supported by a number of the India's leading tech entrepreneurs.
