NEW DELHI: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) on Tuesday said it has shortlisted five new startups as part of its third cohort of MAIL (Mobility & Automobile Innovation Lab) programme.
The five new startups chosen in Cohort 3 are Clean Slate, Peer Robotics, Vicara, Hyper Reality, and URJA. With the addition of these five startups, Maruti Suzuki is now engaged with 14 startups under the MAIL programme in the last 18 months, the company said in a statement.
Maruti Suzuki India's MAIL initiative supports startups by co-creating innovative business solutions. It was launched with an aim to nurture innovation in the automobile and mobility sector in partnership with GHV Accelerator in January 2019. The company said that the initiative aims to create an environment to nurture, foster and guide the early-stage startups.
The five startups of cohort 3 underwent an extensive shortlisting process that included screening and pitch sessions. Clean Slate Technologies, a startup from Bengaluru, stood as the winner of the programme, followed by Peer Robotics from Gurgaon as 1st runner up and Vicara from Bengaluru as the 2nd runner up.
The company added that these startups will now engage with Maruti Suzuki for paid projects and also will be entitled for other benefits associated with the programme. "The auto industry is extremely dynamic and faces new challenges frequently. The lookout for new technological aids to assist the industry and continue working efficiently is an ever-evolving task," MSIL MD & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa said.
He added that the company's flagship MAIL programme is now in its 3rd cohort and in each round several innovative ideas that solve real-life industrial challenges have been witnessed. "MAIL programme focuses on offering a platform to these early stage startups where they can translate their big ideas into business solutions. Besides, they get a unique opportunity to get the idea validated and approved by Maruti Suzuki's domain experts," Ayukawa said.