To provide robust support to innovators and entrepreneurs in India, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, has partnered with Freshworks Inc., a customer-engagement software company.

The collaboration aims to increase the efficacy of the institutions and startups in the AIM portfolio and foster innovation and entrepreneurship among startup innovators.

Under this partnership, Freshworks will provide credits for its suite of products to AIM and its beneficiaries, which will empower startups to function efficiently while keeping a tab on costs in related activities. The credits offered to the beneficiaries are related to Freshsales-Sales CRM Software, Freshdesk-Customer Support Software, Freshchat-Customer Messaging Software, Fresh Release-Agile Project Management Software, Freshcaller-Cloud Telephony Software, Freshmarketer-Marketing Automation Software, Freshteam-HR Management Software, Freshservice-and IT service management software.

According to the Statement of Intent (SoI), Freshworks will do a white-glove onboarding for startups, which includes functional training in sales, marketing, and customer support use of cloud technology for providing better customer experiences.

Resources and mentorship to startups in Freshworks’ area of expertise will also be made available, including access to virtual or physical office hours to interface with functional leaders from Freshworks and an extended mentor network.

Various webinars will be organised with AIM, including workshops, training of modules and other relevant topics.

Speaking during the programme, AIM Mission Director Shri R. Ramanan said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for our incubators and the startup ecosystem to get further empowered in their innovation journey. We are pleased to have Freshworks on board. It will be an innovative journey for our beneficiaries, an exciting one. Our primary objective is to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the startup world across the country.”

Freshworks’ Director of Technology Partnerships Rajiv Ramanan agreed. “Entrepreneurial efforts are alive and well in India, even during these challenging times. Enormous opportunities remain for SME/MSME and startups; we look forward to supporting their efforts with the right tools and guidance required so they can provide great experiences to win customers for life.”  

The virtual programme was attended by officials of AIM, NITI Aayog, and Freshworks; AIM incubators, startups, AIM-supported schools, mentors, and ACIC-shortlisted applicants were also present.

Freshworks is a cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) company-it provides innovative customer-engagement software for businesses of all sizes, making it easy for teams to acquire, close, and keep their customers for life. Freshworks SaaS products provide a 360-degree view of the customer; they are ready to go, easy to use, and offer quick return on investment.

Public-private partnership for startup support provides SaaS credits, onboarding, training, and mentorship to AIM-affiliated innovators. Atal Innovation Mission and Freshworks will provide Freshworks SaaS product credits and white-glove onboarding to AIM-affiliated incubators and startups, including functional training in sales, marketing, and customer support, mentorship via office hours with Freshworks leaders, and joint webinars and workshops to strengthen startup capacity and accelerate cloud technology adoption.