Google, MeitY Announce Appscale Academy Programme to Help Indian Startups Build Apps for Global Audience

Appscale Academy, a new growth and development programme for startups, has been announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Google. This programme looks to train early- to mid-stage startups across India on building apps for a global audience. Google and MeitY will conduct a selection process wherein 100 startups will get trained through a customised curriculum which includes virtual instructor-led webinars, self-learning material, and mentorship sessions with local and global industry professionals. The programme will span across six months.

The new Appscale Academy programme will cover topics such as app quality, global reach, user acquisition and monetisation, app design, Google Play policy, and data safety best practices. Any Indian startup looking to accelerate business growth is eligible to apply. Applications are now open and the last date for submission is December 15. The final list of 100 startups will be announced in January 2022.

Appscale Academy programme comes with additional benefits such as personalised mentorship, access to Google self-paced learning programmes, MeitY Startup Education courses, as well as invite-only seminar and events. The programme also offers market consultation and app quality review. A select number of startups will also receive 1:1 mentorship by Google and industry experts, Google product credits, Android hardware, and potential opportunity to be showcased on Google Play. All startups, whether gaming or non-gaming, can apply via this link. The startups can run on any business model — free, paid, transaction, and others. Google notes that this programme is only open for app developers in India and applicants must be aged 18 years or above.

These startups are required to have a core team that will commit to a six-month long training, coaching, and mentorship programme. Training sessions will be conducted by mentors like CEO and Co-Founder and CEO of Games2Win Alok Kejriwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Koo Aprameya Radhakrishna, Vice President and General Manager of Growth at Meesho Megha Agarwal, and more.