Driving Innovation: Maruti Suzuki and DPIIT collaborate to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India Limited (“Maruti Suzuki”) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India to encourage and support startups to develop technology-driven solutions in automobile manufacturing and mobility space.
Startups recognized by DPIIT under the ‘Startup India’ initiative will have the opportunity to participate in Maruti Suzuki’s innovation programs. Upon selection, startups will benefit from expert mentorship, industry insights, and access to Maruti Suzuki’s extensive network and infrastructure, which serves as a valuable testbed for robust validation of their solutions. Additionally, startups will get a platform to connect to incubators, accelerators, and investors to showcase their solutions.
The MoU was exchanged between DPIIT and Maruti Suzuki in the presence of Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Ms. Anjali Bansal, Independent Director, Maruti Suzuki, Mr. Sunil Kakkar, Director, Corporate Planning, Maruti Suzuki, Mr. Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki and Dr. Tapan Sahoo, Executive Officer, Digital Enterprise, Maruti Suzuki.
Mr. Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “India is home to a vibrant and growing startup ecosystem. Through this partnership with DPIIT, we will be able to further accelerate our efforts to support promising startups to create technology-led solutions in the automobile manufacturing and mobility space. This collaboration is a step forward in our commitment to the Government’s ‘Startup India’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives. We thank DPIIT for partnering with us in this initiative.”
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT said, “Maruti Suzuki’s legacy of innovation, scale, and deep industry knowledge makes it a vital partner for India’s startup ecosystem. This MoU is a step towards creating a robust platform for startups to transform ideas into market-ready mobility and manufacturing solutions, reinforcing India’s leadership in next-gen industrial innovation.”
Highlighting the significance of this collaboration, Md. Alam Ansari, Deputy Director, Startup India, DPIIT, stated, “Our partnership with Maruti Suzuki reflects DPIIT’s commitment to nurturing high-impact startup engagement in the mobility and manufacturing space. We look forward to enabling startups with the support they need to succeed at scale, both in India and globally.”
Maruti Suzuki’s innovation Programs
Maruti Suzuki through its innovation programs, is a proud partner of Government’s ‘Startup India’ initiative. To spur innovation in the automotive space, the Company has built multiple programs – 1) Accelerator, 2) Incubation, 3) Mobility Challenge and 4) Nurture – that provide the right direction and support to startups in developing innovative solutions that help solve business and societal problems. In the journey of 6 years, over 5,220 startups have been screened, around 150 startups were engaged and 28 of these startups have been onboarded as partners delivering value to our business.
Source: worldautoforum.com