Salesforce starts programme to mentor Indian start-ups in tech, innovation

Companies will get guidance on product design, strategy and business strategy.

Salesforce, an international customer relationship management (CRM) company, on Wednesday launched a programme for Indian start-ups to innovate, strengthen client connections and scale up business.

This Salesforce Startup Program will mentor start-ups with access to the company’s technology and experts. The programme offers a platform to foster an environment for innovation, growth and collaboration for start-ups across sales, developer relations, App-Exchange, Trailblazer product community, Trailhead and its Ventures organisations.

“Startups are a critical pillar to the success of our growth in India. With the Salesforce Startup Program we wish to innovate locally to resolve local problems while at the same time promoting these solutions globally. I am confident we will be able to deliver innovation at scale enabling growth for both the ecosystem and Salesforce,” said Arundhati Bhattacharya, chief executive officer and chairperson, Salesforce India.

The programme’s highlights include streamlined access to Salesforce services, including a chance to utilise its CRM platform, and technologies like Slack, Tableau, Heroku and Pardot.

The AppExchange Partner Program is a repository of pre-built apps from Salesforce and partners that drive value by quickly solving business problems, as well as an access point for consultants who develop custom solutions. Through this program, startups will have the opportunity to innovate within a global marketplace via AppExchange, a leading enterprise cloud marketplace, for startups building on our Salesforce Platform.

Trailblazer Community offers start-ups access to mentorship by industry experts, including coaching on product strategy, technology and design.

Through Salesforce's investment arm, Salesforce Ventures, start-ups may be given the opportunity to pitch to enterprise technology investors. In addition, Salesforce supports start-ups with their go-to-market, product development and design strategies.

“At Salesforce, our endeavor is to enable the growing startup ecosystem by providing them with access to the latest Salesforce technologies to help build scale and also access a platform to reach global audiences. These are exciting times for startups and we look forward to many successful partnerships in the years to come,” said Sanket Atal, SVP and MD - Sites, Salesforce India.