AWS to launch specialist programmes for healthcare, logistics startups

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will soon introduce specialist programmes for Indian startups building in healthcare and logistics sectors, according to Amitabh Nagpal, Head of Startup Ecosystem, AWS India Private Limited.

In an interview with YourStory, Nagpal said the cloud provider is in talks with several venture capital (VC) firms and experts for partnerships for these programmes. 

“We will be tying up with large VC partners for the programmes. We have also been getting interest from unicorns founders in specific sectors for providing mentorship as they look to contribute back to the ecosystem,” said Nagpal, hinting at a partnership with a large logistic firm. 

In these specialist programmes launched by AWS, it provides pre-seed to late-stage startups with a range of support from product development, go-to-market and industry connect to a dedicated AWS support which includes guidance and mentorship opportunities from investors and established founders.

These sector-focussed structured programmes are designed in partnership with VC firms like Prime Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners, angel investors, incubators, and accelerators. 

Some of the popular ones include SaaS Central and ML Elevate, which are dedicated months-long programs for SaaS and early-stage machine learning (ML) startups.

DeHaat, CreditVidya, Kissht, INDmoney, WEGoT Utility Solutions are some of the firms leveraging AWS Cloud and building their platform.

“We will continuously evolve our programmes to elevate startups across stages. We are extremely bullish on fintech, AI and ML startups. Having said that, you will see a lot of action in preventive healthcare segment and also Insurtech on the back of governed initiatives like National Health Stack,” he added.

On the pricing front, AWS claims to have reduced its pricing 129 times since its launch in 2006. 

“We are one of the rare players who has reduced pricing over the years. We have provided more than $2 billion in AWS credits since 2020 to help early-stage startups launch their businesses and accelerate their growth,” said Nagpal. 

AWS has been doubling down on its mentorship efforts in these programmes, along with global exposure for startup founders. For instance, in its recently-concluded SaaS Central programme, the company took a cohort of 24 early-stage and hyper-growth SaaS startups to the US and connected them with leaders and founders in the space for mentorship and networking opportunity besides understanding how they can grow by scaling to global markets. 

"AWS has launched over 200 services, on top of which startups can build. The ability to experiment and innovate has gone up tremendously while the cost has come down. We see cloud as a democratic and catalyst for innovation," said Nagpal.

(The story was updated with the latest number on AWS' price reduction)