New Delhi, [India] May 12 (ANI): Maruti Suzuki India Limited has selected six startups from the 10th Cohort of its flagship Accelerator Program to co-create AI-based and technology-led solutions aimed at improving safety, efficiency and customer engagement across its operations, the company said in a press release on Tuesday.

The selected startups, Goat Robotics, SheerDrive, Schijnenn Digital, GenbaNEXT, Swayatt Drishtigochar, and Swiftex, have been awarded paid Proof of Concepts (PoCs) to work with the company on real-world business challenges.

'As our operations continue to grow, the solutions that we are co-creating with these startups will enable us to further improve safety in our plants, help reduce product design and development lead time, strengthen material traceability to support our circularity efforts, and help our dealer sales executives engage with customers more efficiently,' said Mr. Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

The six startups will focus on distinct areas across manufacturing and sales. Goat Robotics will work on the 'safe and efficient movement of materials,' while SheerDrive will develop a 'real-time, market-linked used car price visualizer.' Schijnenn Digital aims to 'shorten product design and development cycle,' and GenbaNEXT will focus on 'material traceability: Aiding in circularity efforts.' Swayatt Drishtigochar is tasked with 'predictive maintenance and safe operation of industrial equipment,' while Swiftex will build a 'sales assistance platform to support dealer executives in efficient customer engagement.'

Takeuchi emphasized the company's commitment to the government's 'Startup India' initiative through its innovation programs. 'At Maruti Suzuki, we are committed to support Government of India's 'Startup India' initiative through our innovation programs. These programs provide startups mentorship, access to our facilities, and opportunities to work with our teams in real business situations. This helps startups refine and scale their ideas while also helping us modernise our operations and become future-ready,' he said.

Maruti Suzuki's open innovation ecosystem has evolved over seven years, with around 6,800 startups screened, over 250 engaged and 34 onboarded as business partners. The Maruti Suzuki Accelerator, launched in January 2019, fosters collaboration with growth-stage startups in automobile manufacturing and mobility. The Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program, started in August 2020 in partnership with NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore, supports early-stage mobility startups with mentorship and academic resources. Other initiatives include the Mobility Challenge for mature-stage startups and Nurture, a pre-incubation program for idea-stage ventures launched in 2023. (ANI)