Global philanthropic investment firm, Omidyar Network, in partnership with venture capital firm, Village Capital, announced that applications are now being accepted for aspiring entrepreneurs in India to participate in a first-of-its kind initiative – the CivicTech India 2018 Accelerator program.
The six-month accelerator program will train and invest in early-stage civic engagement ventures in India by bringing together entrepreneurs, influencers, the government and potential funders, through forums and workshops. Following an intensive five-step process, the CivicTech India 2018 Accelerator program will then select a cohort of 6–12 ventures post the application using VIRAL, a proprietary evaluation framework developed by Village Capital.
“We are really excited about the growing potential of civic technology in India. To harness this opportunity, we want to support promising entrepreneurs, who are using to tech to tackle some of India’s most pressing social challenges, and to empower citizens to better engage with the government and their communities,” said Bharath Visweswariah, Director for Governance and Citizen Engagement Investments at Omidyar Network in India.
Speaking about the collaboration with Omidyar Network, Deepak Menon, Regional Director, Emerging Markets, Village Capital stated, “Governance and civic issues cut across several of Village Capital’s focus areas such as health, education and environmental sustainability. Through the CivicTech India 2018 Accelerator program, Village Capital and Omidyar Network hope to catalyze the ecosystem for entrepreneurs in this space; supporting them to sustainably improve basic quality of life across populations and regions in India, and create impact at scale.”
The selected cohort will receive support and training over a period of three to five months to hone their expertise, refine and improve their business models, and increase their scalability and impact.
This program has been designed to encourage Indian entrepreneurs to develop solutions to tackle the country’s toughest civic and social challenges, which include infrastructure, education, health, sanitation, governance and administration among others.
Unleashing entrepreneurial creativity towards addressing these civic challenges will likely yield better and more durable solutions to these issues. It will also aid public involvement in critical decision-making processes. The use of civic technology can thereby help dramatically improve delivery of services to citizens and refine the government’s overall responsiveness to civic issues. Through the Civic Tech India 2018 Accelerator program, Omidyar Network and Village Capital aim to support and further develop India’s civic technology sector as a whole.
The CivicTech India 2018 Accelerator program is now open for applications until Friday, June 15, 2018, at 5 PM IST. Interested applicants can find out more about the program and apply here.
