Flipkart announces the eight finalists of the first-ever batch of Flipkart Leap Innovation Network

• The shortlisted startups will execute three month-long pilots with relevant business units within Flipkart
• The pilots from start-ups will span areas such as virtual try-ons, sustainable packaging solutions, regional language interface, and supply chain management 

Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, today announced that it has identified eight startups for its accelerator program Flipkart Leap Innovation Network (FLIN) and will work with each of them on building a three-month-long Proof-of-Concept (PoC). FLIN, launched in January 2022, aims to create a community of local entrepreneurs and foster an exchange of innovation with tech startups. This program is an initiative under Flipkart’s flagship startup accelerator program, Flipkart Leap.

The program aims to identify relevant startups working towards various problem statements that can accelerate the adoption of e-commerce for the next 500 million customers. FLIN will provide these startups with an opportunity to test their solutions at scale by executing pilots within the Flipkart ecosystem, creating opportunities for them to contribute to transforming the e-commerce landscape. 

The final eight startups will undergo a one-on-one mentorship program with the relevant Flipkart Leadership team to help scale their business and deploy their solutions at scale at Flipkart. Some of the Proof of concept (POCs) to be conducted as a three-month trial will include working on solutions across AI-powered virtual try-ons, sustainable packaging solutions, vernacular/ regional language interface, supply chain optimisation, management, and more.

Naren Ravula, VP, Product Strategy and Deployment at Flipkart, said, “At Flipkart, we believe in fostering a culture of innovation within and outside the organization to nurture ideas and solutions that can solve for India. Flipkart Leap Innovation Network aims to support various startups through insights and mentorship while helping them scale and build disruptive innovations. As a homegrown company, we want to harness the potential of the startup ecosystem and nurture new ideas that solve for Digital India. We look forward to mentoring and collaborating with the eight startups to unlock benefits for the larger ecosystem.”

FLIN is designed to enable a broader set of startups to engage with Flipkart’s product and tech teams to help accelerate their journey while leveraging benefits through the Flipkart Group’s ecosystem.

The final eight startups that will begin proof of concepts includeAShield Technologies, Bigthinx, Datacultr, Elixia Tech,  IntelleWings, Linksmart Technologies, TryNDBuy and VitraAI. The proof of concepts include Virtual Try Ons, OTP-less Authentication, Indent and Freight Automation, and Vernacular Image/Video Translation.

FLIN will launch applications for the next cohort very soon.