Lightspeed India announces the finalists of Extreme Entrepreneurs 2019
Top ten startups to get no-holds-barred Masterclasses by the who’s who of global start-up industry and one to one mentorship by a Lightspeed Partner
Extreme Entrepreneurs is ready to level the playing the field for ten high potential startups by providing access to the world’s best ideas, people and practices for zero-equity, no strings attached. The second edition of the business training series witnessed a phenomenal response: more than 870 startups applied, a 90% increase over the first year, from across 102 cities.
These top ten startups will get a chance to get candid Masterclasses by some of the most iconic global startup leaders including Max Levchin, co-founder and CEO of Affirm, previously co-founder PayPal; Anu Hariharan, Partner, Y Combinator; Ritesh Agarwal, CEO and Founder, OYO rooms; and Sriharsha Majety, CEO and Co-Founder, Swiggy. amongst others. In addition, they will receive 1:1 mentorship by a Lightspeed Partner every week. The business training series will run for six “Testy Tuesdays” starting Sep 03 at The Common Room Foundation, Delhi.
The startups were selected through a rigorous process where they demonstrated bold ambition, the track record of making the most of opportunities, and extreme leadership in moments of adversity. Reflecting on the gruelling process, Vaibhav Agrawal, Partner at Lightspeed said ‘We were amazed by the founders we met – a small towner from Bihar who lived through college under $2/day, a founder who started a college coding competition that attracted 20K+ developers, and someone who rose from a debilitating sports injury to run a half marathon. I am quite hopeful that these few weeks will ignite new ideas, pull founders out of the day-to-day and shift their trajectory completely’
Blackboard Radio – Platform to improve conversational English of school students in tier 2 and 3 India
Bakbuck – Social gaming network and assisted shopping for Indian housewives in regional languages
Deepsync – Voice cloning technology that improves audio experiences by 10xing production process
EazyPG – App that automates tenant verification, complaints & rent collection for hostel and PG operators
Gratitude – Every day self-help tools and meditation exercises to be more grateful and mindful
GroMo – Platform for micro-entrepreneurs to sell financial products within their network and earn income
Ithaka – Travel social commerce and trip planning platform for DIY travellers
Openapp – Integrated security and access control platform for an enterprise using smart-locks
Womaniya – Community of Indian women in Hindi to share daily lives and get support
Xeno – AI-driven retention marketing platform for large retailers to increase repeat sales by up to 50%