Uber Joins Start-Up India Initiative With Launch Of Mentorship Program

Uber has announced a new partnership ‘uberExchange’ with Invest India to provide mentorship for Indian entrepreneurs, a press statement issued by the company said.

Explaining the scope of its agenda, the statement said that the company will host a series of six leadership talks by senior Uber executives over the next 12 months, including from its headquarters in San Francisco. Each session will address a different challenge that entrepreneurs face when founding their own company, including fundraising, product design, engineering and how to scale a business. 

At the end of the programme, 10 startups will be flown to San Francisco, where they will be introduced to global investors, fellow entrepreneurs and the team at Uber.

This public-private initiative, coinciding with Prime Minister’s vision to make India a global startup hub, will enable students, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to learn from each other.

Travis Kalanick, co-founder and CEO of Uber, will give the first talk at the inauguration of the Startup India Initiative on January 16. He is expected to speak about his own journey as an entrepreneur and how to succeed through adversity. Speaking about the partnership, Travis Kalanick said, “Today more and more people aspire to be entrepreneurs and build something themselves.”

Amitabh Kant, secretary, DIPP said, “This unique mentorship programme will be immensely valuable to Indian entrepreneurs and I am excited about the exchange of knowledge and ideas between the startup cultures in India and the Silicon Valley. This is just one step towards stronger ties with the international startup community, and the possibilities are limitless.”