Target India on an incubating spree, kick starts third batch of Target Accelerator Program
Target, the Fortune 50 retailer, had set up an accelerator program in India last year after ten years of its operations in the country. With an aim to tap into the innovation ecosystem in India, Target accelerator’s first batch of five startups focused on developing ideas across key areas such as search, content, data, social and mobile, graduated in June 2014. After the successful completion of two batches,Target Corporation India has announced the commencement of its third batch of the Target Accelerator Program (TAP).
The latest batch comprises three internal teams and five external startups.
The five external startups, Findmeashoe.com, TimeFlex, BugClipper, Discover Dollar, and House of Blue Beans, will be developing ideas focused on the retail industry. The four-month program will focus on themes such as Merchandising, Digital Marketing, Omni-channel, Mobile, Supply Chain and Analytics Technology, along with areas like Finance and DevOps that are integral to retail technology.
The startups at a glance
- Findmeashoe.com helps people find the right footwear through virtual shopping.
- TimeFlex provides cloud-based monitoring of micro-environments.
- BugClipper reports bugs, and shares feedback through screenshots and screen recordings.
- House of Blue Beans provides 3D product visualizations.
- Discover Dollar’s technology stops leakages and over payments.
The internal ideas include XL-O-Rest, ZeroToOne and Sales Suggest.XL-O-Rest provides an automated testing suite for restful APIs.
ZeroToOne provides a DevOps platform for product engineering andSales Suggest helps curate sales suggestions for team members during in-store guest interactions.
Maheshwaran Calavai, Director Strategy and Innovation, Target India, says, "In our last two batches, we incubated 10 startups and helped them with all the resources required to build a venture. Our focus is to put their ideas into practice."
Fuelling innovation
Target reviewed several startup applications, and internally conducted a competitive evaluation,in order to finalize their third batch. The programme will empower these startups, providing them with a pool of mentors, and retail insights from Target leaders.
Navneet Kapoor, President and MD, Target India, says,
Engaging with the startup ecosystem provides access to innovative ideas and a newer talent pool.This helps us advance our innovation journey.