India’s Flipkart is looking at Israeli innovations in its latest accelerator program

Indian e-commerce marketplace Flipkart has announced the launch of the fourth edition of its cohort, which will focus for the first time on the high-tech ecosystem in Israel through the Flipkart Leap Innovation Network (FLIN). Part of Flipkart Leap, FLIN is built to support startups throughout their growth journey, providing them with the opportunity to run real-world pilots through technology partnerships and enabling access to Flipkart’s market reach. Launched in January 2022, the Flipkart Group’s startup accelerator program aims to create a community of entrepreneurs and support the exchange of innovations with technology startups.

“There is great curiosity about Israeli technologies in India, as well as a strong desire to adopt innovative solutions and original business models,” said Adi Lev, CEO of Flipkart Israel. “Joining the Flipkart Leap Innovation Network offers startups at various stages – from early ventures to growth-stage companies – a unique opportunity to make a significant leap forward. This program creates important opportunities for collaboration between Flipkart and Israeli startups, providing access to a rapidly growing market of hundreds of millions of customers.”

The Flipkart Group is one of India’s leading digital commerce entities and includes group companies Flipkart, Myntra, Flipkart Wholesale, Flipkart Health+ and Cleartrip. Founded in 2007, Flipkart has a registered user base of over 500 million.

Flipkart Group launched operations in Israel in 2018 after acquiring Upstream Commerce, a company specializing in real-time analysis of competitive prices and market trends. This acquisition led to the creation of the Israel Center for Development and Innovation, which now leads Flipkart’s efforts in artificial intelligence and algorithmics. The development center employs 100 people, half of whom work in Israel and the rest in India and Ukraine.

“We are excited to announce an exclusive FLIN cohort focused on the Israeli startup ecosystem, reaffirming our commitment to working with young startups in Israel,” said Jeyandran Venugopal, chief product and technology officer at Flipkart. “Through partnerships between India and Israel, our goal is to drive new business models and foster a culture of innovation, building the next generation of technology talent and solving real-world problems. Our areas of interest in technology partnerships with the Israeli startup ecosystem include innovative e-commerce/eTail experiences, new technology solutions and early-stage companies.”