In line with its vision to transform the way
India buys & sells, Amazon India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with the Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology Services (KBITS) at
‘ELEVATE100’ event held today in Bangalore. As part of the alliance, Amazon
India will work with KBITS to educate, train & enable select start-ups to sell
their products to Amazon customers across the country under its Launchpad
program. Amazon Launchpad, the company’s flagship program dedicated to promote
innovative products backed by technological excellence, makes it easy for
Indian startups to launch, market, and distribute their products to millions of
Amazon customers across India and around the world through a dedicated store.
The
Government of Karnataka has operationalized a dedicated ‘Karnataka Startup
Cell’ as a one-stop shop to provide assistance to startups with respect to
information on regulatory environment, networking with industry bodies and
academic institutions. The Start-up Cell, operated by KBITS, provides the
‘Startup Karnataka Booster Kit’ – a collection of software tools and services provided
by a ‘Booster Kit Service Provider’ which enables start-ups to avail enhanced
marketing support and showcase their innovative products to the customers.
As
part of this alliance, Amazon Launchpad as a ‘Booster Kit Service Provider’,
shall provide a dedicated storefront on www.amazon.in and other services to all
the shortlisted product start-ups including periodic support and services in
improving their presence on the marketplace, generating demand for their
products, and guiding them towards sustainable business growth under the
program. KBITS will share a database of product start-ups registered with
the Karnataka Start-up Cell with the Launchpad team on a monthly and quarterly
basis to help start-ups leverage Amazon’s world-class e-commerce expertise,
global infrastructure, and powerful marketing tools to help them deliver their
products to millions of Amazon customers.
Sharing
his views on the MoU, Priyank Kharge, Minister for IT, BT and Tourism,
Government of Karnataka said “We are extremely glad to partner
with Amazon India for providing a platform for start-ups to enter the booming
space of e-commerce. With their rich experience and deep understanding of
consumers, Amazon Launchpad program can really make a difference in
facilitating these talented start-ups take advantage of the growing digital
economy and e-commerce. This initiative will help the start-ups in showcasing
their product which will be available to the massive Amazon customer base
across the country. We expect Amazon’s Launchpad program to greatly boost
the morale of young entrepreneurs and make them successful.”
Manish
Tiwary, Vice-President, Category Management, Amazon India, added, “Amazon Launchpad is an exceptional
opportunity for Indian Startups to get access to a nationwide customer base.
Through this program individual entrepreneurs, innovators and creators from
across Karnataka can leverage the Amazon marketplace to increase the scale of
their business and even get easy access to global markets. We are excited to
partner with the Government of Karnataka to encourage innovation from the
Indian start-up community and guide start-ups towards sustainable business
growth”.
In
the past, Amazon Launchpad has tied up with various partners operating in the
ecosystem, such as DIPP’s Start Up India initiative to offer Startups a
streamlined on-boarding experience, access to custom product pages with unique
content, marketing support to aid product discovery, and access to Amazon’s
customer base & fulfilment network, all geared toward helping Startups
scale up their businesses and successfully launch their innovative products.
Under
this program, Amazon offers services of inventory management, order fulfilment,
customer service and more for start-ups, allowing them to focus their efforts
on the innovation that results in more products that customers will love.
Startups that have developed a unique and innovative consumer products qualify
for Amazon Launchpad. The products have to be from a category Amazon.in
currently operates in (except for books & media) and they should be ready
for shipping on the day of the application, or the following 30 days.
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