India’s Flipkart eyeing Israeli innovation in latest accelerator program
The Walmart-owned e-commerce giant’s fourth edition of its cohort will focus on innovative eCommerce/eTail experiences, emerging technology solutions, and early stage businesses
Indian e-commerce marketplace Flipkart has announced the launch of the fourth edition of its cohort, which for the first time will focus on the high-tech ecosystem in Israel through the Flipkart Leap Innovation Network (FLIN). Part of Flipkart Leap, FLIN is built for startups across their growth journey, providing them with the opportunity to run real-world pilots through technology partnerships and enable access to Flipkart’s market footprint. Launched in January 2022, the startup accelerator program by the Flipkart Group aims to create a community of entrepreneurs and foster the exchange of innovation with tech startups.
“There is immense curiosity in India for Israel’s technologies, along with a strong desire to adopt innovative solutions and original business models,” said Adi Lev, CEO of Flipkart Israel. “Joining the Flipkart Leap Innovation Network offers startups at various stages—from early ventures to growth-phase companies—a unique chance to make a significant leap forward. This program facilitates a substantial collaboration opportunity between Flipkart and Israel’s startups, providing access to a rapidly growing market of hundreds of millions of customers.”
The Flipkart Group is one of India’s leading digital commerce entities and includes group companies Flipkart, Myntra, Flipkart Wholesale, Flipkart Health+, and Cleartrip. Established in 2007, Flipkart has a registered user base of more than 500 million.
Flipkart Group began operations in Israel in 2018 after acquiring Upstream Commerce, a company specializing in real-time competitive pricing and market trend analysis. This acquisition led to the establishment of the Israel Development and Innovation Center, which now spearheads Flipkart’s efforts in AI and algorithmics. The development center employs 100 people, half of whom are based in Israel and the rest in India and Ukraine.
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“We are thrilled to announce an exclusive cohort for FLIN focused on the Israel start-up ecosystem, driving forward our commitment to partner with young startups in Israel,” said Jeyandran Venugopal, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Flipkart. “Through these partnerships between India and Israel, we aim to fuel new business models and foster a culture of innovation, building the next generation of tech talent and addressing real-world problems. Our focus areas for technology partnerships with Israel’s startup ecosystem encompass innovative eCommerce/eTail experiences, emerging technology solutions, and early-stage businesses.”
