The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, launches a call to startup applications for registration on the MAARG portal, the National Mentorship Platform by Startup India.

To further boost the Indian startup ecosystem, currently ranked 3rd largest globally, Startup India is focused on catalysing the startup culture and building a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship in India.

The mentorship portal under the Startup India initiative MAARG, or the Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth program, is a single-stop solution finder for startups in India. The portal has been developed to be accessible from every corner of the country to connect with a mentor.

 Recently Piyush Goyal launched the US Startup SETU - Supporting Entrepreneurs in Transformation and Upskilling programme in the Bay Area of San Francisco. The initiative was launched to connect start-ups in India to US-based investors and start-up ecosystem leaders with mentorship and assistance in various areas including funding, market access and commercialization.

The core functions of MAARG are to improve ease of access, use Artificial Intelligence for Matchmaking, schedule meetings virtually, host masterclasses, provide a custom dashboard for relevant information, analytics, features, etc., host cohort-based programs that will allow startup ecosystem enablers to be become a part of the program and enable outcome driven activities.

Startups can now effectively connect with academicians, industry experts, successful founders, seasoned investors, and other experts from across the globe, through Artificial Intelligence (AI) based matchmaking, to get personalized guidance on growth and strategy. The key features of the portal include customizable mentorship programs for ecosystem enablers, mobile-friendly user interface, recognition for contributing mentors, video and audio call options, etc.