500 Startups partner GSF India opens second accelerator program applications

Emerging market startups are a dime-a-dozen these days. Getting recognised and separating yourself from the pack is a challenge for any young company, but one way to achieve recognition is by gaining acceptance into an accelerator program run by, or associated with, a respected accelerator.

500 Startups, the ever impressive American seed accelerator, would be one such company to gain recognition through, and a program facilitated by one of its partners, GSF India, is one such program Indian entrepreneurs should explore. It just so happens the second year of the GSF Accelerator program has opened applications today.

GSF India, an innovative investment company founded by Rajesh Sawhney, runs its accelerator program across the four cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai simultaneously and is looking for 20 companies to participate in its intensive platform geared at finding and, ultimately, funding the best new startups in India.

The goal is to condense six months worth of work into just nine weeks, giving the program the title of a “super accelerator”. It achieves this by dividing the platform into “intensive and propietary” workshops with access to mentorship, business networks and VCs.

Sawhney said of the hackathon-esque platform last year; “the program is designed to create the next wave of product-oriented technology start-ups in the areas of mobile, social, local and cloud.”

Built around the values of intensity of mentorship, deep collaboration with the ecosystem and creation of a global springboard for the next generation of Indian startups the accelerator program is set on nurturing an Indian startup ecosystem of “by the startups, for the startups”.

The program is known for tough Q and A sessions with mentors and entrepreneurs in residence, often resulting in quick changes to products during the nine weeks.

The program is currently only available for Indian-based startups, but Sawhney has stated that he is looking to expand it overseas in the coming years.

According to The Next Web Playcez, a Delhi-based event discovery app, is the first GSF Accelerator graduate to close funding. Sawhney has said that nine of the 15 startup graduates from the program’s first year are currently raising seed rounds though.

To enter GSF India’s Accelerator program, you can apply here.