Seven firms have commenced operations at the ‘Startup Warehouse’ set up by the Tamil Nadu government in association with National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) at Tidel Park.
The firms are: Angulus IT Services, a company in SAAS space, Finix Infosolution which focuses on artificial intelligence and automation, Nivi Robotics, Bibimbi , MaxMyTV, Klenty and Harivara Global Services.
Nasscom received more than 1,000 applications from entrepreneurs who wanted to be a part of this warehouse. After several rounds of screening, these first seven firms were chosen.
According to Rajat Tandon, Vice President, Nasscom, 10,000 Startups, 15 more startups have been shortlisted and they will be making their pitch in front of the steering committee. The committee members include stakeholders from the Government of Tamil Nadu and Nasscom.
“The warehouse spread across 8,000 sq.ft can house up to 50 startups allowing them to learn, work, and accelerate their companies,” said Mr. Rajat.
The Startup Warehouse in Chennai will focus on supporting startups with the three Cs — Coaching, Capital, and Connects. Nasscom will work with its partners and sponsors to bring high quality mentoring to startups across business and technology.
It will also enable demo days and investor meets to help startups raise capital. The firms will get access to resources from Google, Amazon, Microsoft, IBM Cloud and Kotak.
Chandu Nair, an investor with Chennai Angels, feels that it is better late than never. “This warehouse will provide entrepreneurs a solid place to ideate and get support,” he said.
“It is great that the government and industry bodies like Nasscom are opening up spaces like these, because it puts startups that would benefit from the support of the government at close range, and helps to quickly iterate the process in which they can effectively engage with startups at large,” said Vijay Anand, founder, The Startup Centre.