When Ashish Bhatia left his corporate career in Boston to start his ventures in esports and e-commerce, he quickly realized a hard truth: the Indian startup ecosystem lacked structured early-stage support. While incubators were common, true accelerators — those offering mentorship, market access, and funding at scale — were few and far between. This realization became the foundation for India Accelerator (IA), which was launched in 2017. Today, IA stands tall as one of India’s leading startup accelerators, backed by the prestigious Global Accelerator Network (GAN). Over the past seven years, it has built a thriving ecosystem — powered by its unique Multiverse Model — that has helped over 225 startups scale, fundraise, and, in many cases, successfully exit.
Building the 4Cs of Startup Success
India Accelerator’s approach goes far beyond just running cohort programs. It systematically addresses what Bhatia calls the “4Cs” crucial for any startup’s journey: Capital, Competency, Connections, and Community.
Mobilising Capital for High-Potential Startups
Recognizing that funding is often the biggest barrier for early-stage founders, IA launched multiple investment vehicles. These include a Category I Angel Fund and a Category II VC Fund. To widen access to capital further, IA created Finvolve, a joint venture with Finsolutions that connects wealth managers and HNIs with promising startups.
Additionally, the firm is closing a GIFT City Fund with a target corpus of INR 150 crore by 2024, aimed at cross-border investments between India and the UAE.
As Ashish Bhatia notes, “If we take promising startups to wealth managers, they may bring in their clients and unlock a massive pool of dry powder.”
Building Competency Through Deep Mentorship
Unlike typical accelerators, India Accelerator offers tailored mentorship through its network of over 1,800 industry experts. iAngels, as they’re known, include notable names like Amit Kumar (former CEO, of OLX India) and Dewang Neralla (CEO, of Atom Technologies).
These mentors guide startups across diverse sectors including agritech, health tech, fintech, cybersecurity, deep tech, esports, and D2C.
IA also collaborates extensively with academic institutions, creating joint programs to ensure that startups have strong domain knowledge in addition to business expertise.
Strengthening Corporate Connections Through Open Innovation
IA’s Open Innovation Platform connects startups directly with large corporates such as Infosys, ICICI Bank, and PVR Cinemas. These collaborations help startups validate use cases, win enterprise clients, and explore strategic acquisition opportunities.
This platform is a game-changer in the Indian startup ecosystem, where corporate startup engagement has traditionally been slow and fragmented.
Building a Vibrant Community
IA is building physical and digital communities through IA Hubs located in Delhi NCR, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Dubai. These hubs act as coworking spaces, collaboration centers, and support systems for founders.
Operational support is handled by IA START, a platform offering shared services like legal, tax, tech, HR, and accounting. This enables startups to focus on growth while outsourcing the complexities of running a business.
Further, through IA Gov, India Accelerator partners with various state governments — including Gujarat, Haryana, Odisha, and Kerala — to drive startup ecosystem development.
A Multiverse Model for Sustainable Innovation
Unlike many accelerators that bet heavily on trend-based unicorns, India Accelerator is building what it calls “aircraft carriers” — long-term bets on interconnected sectors.
For instance, a startup specializing in drone-based agrotech solutions might later expand to government surveillance projects. A health tech SaaS platform could simultaneously cater to doctors and pharmaceutical supply chains.
“We’ve moved beyond chasing unicorns like Zomato or Paytm. Our focus is now on building multiverse ecosystems where startups support each other across sectors,” says Ashish Bhatia.
This strategic shift positions IA to create deeper, more resilient value chains — not just isolated startup successes.
Stellar Track Record and Global Vision
India Accelerator’s impact numbers speak for themselves:
- Over 225 startups accelerated across sectors
- 67% of startups raised follow-on capital
- 33% achieved exits with an average 6x investment return
- International expansion into the UAE and soon Southeast Asia
With the ongoing launch of sector-specific funds, stronger corporate partnerships, and deeper government collaborations, India Accelerator is set to become not just one of the best startup accelerators in India but also a gateway for Indian startups to scale globally.
Conclusion
For first-time founders, domain experts turning entrepreneurs, or even corporates venturing into innovation, India Accelerator offers a holistic, full-stack ecosystem that few accelerators in India can match.
Through its multiverse model of capital, competency, connections, and community, IA is truly shaping the next generation of Indian startups, one aircraft carrier at a time. Ready to turn your startup idea into a scalable business? Join FounderLabs.
