IAMAI launches peer mentoring programme for startup founders

Industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on Wednesday said it has launched a peer mentoring programme for startup founders.  

Under the Circle Programme, two founders are matched with one mentor who is equipped to help them make informed decisions about funding, investments, technology adoption or other related challenges, a statement said.

Dinesh Agarwal of IndiaMart, Nitin Kamath of Zerodha, Rajesh Jain of Netcore, Adhil Shetty of Bankbazaar, Vivek Bhargava of Dentsu and Profitwheel, Ameera Shah of Metropolis, Rajesh Magow of MakeMyTrip, Nigel Morris of Ad-mix, PK Gulati of Optimistix Ventures and Tarana Lalwani of InnoVen Capital are some of the mentors in the programme.

"Startups hold the potential to become the growth engines of our economy and they are our future. They have shown exemplary performance over the years. Our endeavour is to support the Indian startup ecosystem, which can set an example for the rest of the world. We are confident that the Circle Programme would provide a major boost to the startup ecosystem, helping startups to strategise their business plans and achieve growth,” IndiaMart CEO and founder Agarwal said.

Mentor Bhargava, who is also the chairman of the IAMAI Startup Committee, and co-founder of ProfitWheel and Head Dentsu Performance Group, said, “The Circle Programme is addressing the challenges of entrepreneurs who usually have a lonely journey and may not know what to do and whom to reach out to when they come across either challenges or opportunities.”

Founders can enroll themselves for the programme from April 22, 2021.  

IAMAI has rolled out several initiatives to help startups in the past. 

In July 2020, it launched its first virtual incubation programme for technology-based startups.  

In June 2020, it set up a founder’s community of 35 direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands in the country from segments such as food, consumer durables, electronics, fashion and fast-moving consumer goods to promote new-age Indian brands.