Back in January, Sequoia India introduced plans for its first early-stage startup accelerator program in India and Southeast Asia, and as we speak the agency introduced its first cohort of 17 startups.
To recap, this system — which is known as Surge — provides every startup a $1.5 million verify and participation in a four-month program that’s break up throughout India and Singapore, in addition to the broader Sequoia international presence in China and San Francisco.
The program kicked off final month, however the startups had been solely unveiled for the primary time as we speak — right here they’re:
- Azani Sports: a ‘full stack’ sportswear startup based mostly in India that sells on-line and thru chosen excessive avenue retails
- Bobobox: a capsule lodge firm based mostly in Indonesia
- Bulbul: a live-streaming service with a concentrate on e-commerce throughout India
- DancingMind: a Singapore startup that makes use of VR to allow distant for stroke victims and sufferers of debilitating ailments like Parkinson’s
- Doubtnut: an India-based schooling startup that makes use of pictures, movies and AI
- Flynote: a journey reserving service with a concentrate on customized journeys
- Hippo Video: a platform growing, enhancing and analyzing advertising and marketing and gross sales movies
- InterviewBit Academy: a pc science coaching and growth platform in India — that’s not not like latest Y Combinator graduate Skill-Lync
- Khatabook: an accounting service for SMEs in India that already claims 120,000 weekly customers
- Qoala: a micro-insurance startup based mostly in Indonesia, which competes with rivals like PasarPolis — which is backed by three of Indonesia’s unicorns
- ShopUp: a social commerce startup that helps sellers in Bangladesh do enterprise by means of Facebook — that’s an identical idea to established Indian startups Meesho (one other YC alum) and LimeRoad which allow sellers on WhatsApp
- Skillmatics: a startup headquartered in India that develops studying video games for pre-school and first faculty youngsters aged underneath 10
- Telio: a b2b commerce platform that goals to digitize the method of manufacturers and wholesalers promoting to retailers
- Uiza: a Singapore-Vietnam startup that lets publishers and corporations develop their very own video infrastructure impartial of platforms like YouTube
- Vybes: an e-commerce platform for social media influencers that’s based mostly out of Singapore
- Zenyum: a startup that gives invisible braces for shoppers in Southeast Asia at a decrease price than conventional alternate options
There’s one extra startup which is being stored ‘under the radar’ for now, Sequoia mentioned.
Sequoia India managing director Shailendra Singh beforehand informed TechCrunch that Surge would assist a ‘curated’ picks of fellow VCs who may make investments alongside within the cohort alongside the agency, and Sequoia mentioned that the 17 startups have attracted a complete of $36 million in funding. A spokesperson additionally identified that 5 of the choice have a minimum of one feminine co-founders, which is sort of actually above common for the area though it’s difficult to get dependable information overlaying India and (specifically) Southeast Asia.
Surge is an attention-grabbing effort for Sequoia, which has historically performed in post-seed and progress levels of the funding cycle. Sequoia closed its most up-to-date fund for India and Southeast Asia at $695 million final 12 months, and it additionally has entry to a globally energetic ‘growth’ fund that’s focused at $eight billion. Reports have steered that Surge will get its personal glowing new $200 million fund, which might make numerous sense given the potential battle and confusion of investing through its important fund. But the agency is declining to touch upon that risk for now.
One main addition to this system that has been confirmed, nonetheless, is Rajan Anandan, the manager who beforehand ran Google’s enterprise in India and Southeast Asia and is a widely known angel investor. His arrival was introduced earlier this month and he’ll lead the Surge initiative.
His recruitment is a serious win for Sequoia, which is betting that Surge’s early…
