Purpose
The Canada-India Acceleration Program (CIAP) helps Canadian women scale-up their companies in untapped markets in cities across India with mentorship from global entrepreneurs, more than 200 incubators, meaningful connections to corporations, potential seed funding and internship opportunities.
The Program
The program has three distinct phases: (1) Training Phase, (2) “Soft Landing” Phase and (3) Investment Phase.
Training phase: During the first phase, start-ups are required to attend a training program that brings together experts from both countries to provide information on:
■ Market opportunities and challenges
■ Rules and regulations for various sectors
■ Potential “go to market” strategies
■ Cultural and consumer behaviour
“Soft landing” Phase: Once start-ups have successfully completed the first phase, companies go to India for up to three months to offered a soft-landing opportunity at over 200 incubators across India. A team of experts will help companies choose the right market and soft-landing placement. The following services are offered during this phase:
■ Customer linkages
■ Beta prototype testing
■ Mentoring by industry experts
■ Corporate connects by leveraging host incubator’s networks
Investment Phase: Post the “soft landing” phase, participating companies will be eligible to pitch for up to $200,000 in seed equity funding
Who should apply
An existing women-led technology start-up that has already developed a prototype with some initial validation from the market. Company’s founder(s) must exhibit a strong desire to access global markets through a well-thought-out scale-up strategy.
Timelines
For more information, please visit www.ciaccelerate.com.