And the winner is … innovation.
Who will understand startups better than another startup that rose to become a multinational with never ending thirst to innovate? Uber is one such highly successful company that kicked off as a startup six years back with a simple idea to help people get a ride around the city with the click of a button.
Now, with the global presence of Uber growing each year they think it is time to give back. And the best thing is that they are doing it by investing in companies that are brimming with enormous possibilities that need just one little push from the back to accelerate.
In 2016 October, Uber announced the launch of UberPITCH, (don’t mistake it for some kind of service like a UberPOOL or UberGO) a startup funding competition. UberPITCH was a pan-India hunt for talented start-ups.
Today, Amit Jain, the India head of operations and strategy, Uber announced the winners of the UberPITCH competition.
According to a press release, more than 5000 start-up entrepreneurs from different parts of the country participated in the challenge over the last three months’ period. Uber selected 100 start-ups for the final round which included sessions with top investors, mentors, and venture capitalists, who quizzed the entrepreneurs about the vision, mission, and roadmap for their startup idea.
Uber finally selected three Indian Startups – SeekSherpa, LeanAgri, and Ambee, all three representing three different sectors – travel, agriculture, and health, respectively as the winners of the competition. The three winners will get an invest of US$ 50,000 each and will be flown to San Francisco, where they will get advice and guidance from top Uber executives and venture capitalists.
SeekSherpa is a mobile based marketplace connecting travellers especially people like chefs, historians, students, journalists, and photographers over information and experience. The app helps travellers decide on enjoying coolest stuff available in the cities. Amit Jain says: “I especially liked the way it celebrated India’s cities, something that we at Uber are also passionate about.â€
LeanAgri provides end-to-end solutions to farmers to increase efficiency, productivity and ultimately earnings. It gives guidance and technical advice to farmers on soil and weather conditions and represents farmers as they sell their crops, ensuring good prices. Uber finds the uniqueness of the company as it focuses on people in villages where more than 70% of Indians live.
Ambee, which was set up to make ambulances reach patients quicker, saving lives At the push of a button, users are connected to network of hospitals and private ambulances on a single technology platform. It’s a prime example of how technology and the smartphone revolution is making a difference to people’s lives.