The first group included five internal teams and four external companies
Citrix said it has successfully culminated its Innovators Program, where nine graduating teams completed its Startup Accelerator’s intensive three-month business model validation program guided by Citrix executives and industry experts.
The program ended with a Demo Day, where each of the startup teams presented to a panel of industry veterans and potential investors. Unique to the Innovators Program is the combination if external companies and Citrix internal teams. The first group included five internal teams and four external companies. Citrix awarded a $10,000USD fellowship seed funding to the four external companies.
Launched in August last year, the Innovators Program attracted hundreds of company entries of which nine teams were chosen by an Executive Council, to become part of the Innovators Program. Designed with the objective of blending leading-edge leadership, team building, design thinking and lean startup approaches, teams were trained to validate their business models around customers’ needs. Additionally, participants also received mentoring and guidance from seasoned business executives, industry leaders and venture capital investors.
Commenting on the program’s culmination, John McIntyre, Managing Director, Citrix Startup Accelerator, said, “The core focus of the Startup accelerator program is to enable entrepreneurs create the next wave of disruptive technologies and great new products that will pave the way for the future of the workspace. India is a gold mine of talented startups, and these nine teams are a testament to this very fact. I am excited for what these teams will achieve and eagerly awaiting the next cohort of the Innovator’s program, what we plan to launch later in 2015.”
Rakesh Singh, VP and GM, Citrix India, added, “I can safely say that each of the nine teams graduating from the first edition of the Innovator’s Program in India are better prepared to bring great products to the market, and have attracted tremendous investor interest, making us extremely proud of the outcome.”
