Updated at 1.35pm IST, July 12: Amazon on Wednesday unveiled “Mission Start Ab,” a seven-episode series that focuses on startups and local innovation in India, confirming an earlier TechCrunch report. The show, for which Amazon has partnered with New Delhi’s Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, will feature 10 early-stage startups and is currently in production, the e-commerce group said. It will start streaming the series “soon.”
“Supporting and nurturing entrepreneurs has been one of Amazon’s focus areas in India. Over the years we have taken a number of initiatives to propel India’s start-up ecosystem. Today, we are excited to announce this Amazon Original show on Prime Video, in association with the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India,” said Chetan Krishnaswamy, Vice President of Public Policy at Amazon India, in a statement.
“We believe this show will inspire many individuals to choose the path of entrepreneurship and contribute in advancing the government’s ‘Start-up India’ initiative.”
Amazon, which counts India among its key markets, said the show will offer “three of the most prolific” investors the opportunity to invest in the early-stage startups.
Our earlier story follows.
Amazon is looking to debut a TV show in India that will look to identify promising startups in the South Asian market, people familiar with the matter said.
The Prime Video show, to be unveiled as early as Wednesday, has been in the works for several months and involves participation from various government bodies and local investors, the people said, requesting anonymity as the information is not public.
The series will aim to showcase innovation from smaller Indian cities and towns, according to one of the people. The show will also see Amazon cut checks to startups through its India-focused $250 million Smbhav fund.
Representatives of Amazon India have been in touch with many angel investors and venture funds in recent months, the people said. Many Bollywood stars are also participating in the program, one of the people said.
Amazon declined to comment Monday. The move also follows Amazon partnering with India’s federal government in April to stream movies and shows from state-run studios.
As Indian startups surge, a cultural phenomenon is paralleling the growth: a rise in media narratives around entrepreneurship. A fusion of youthful, tech-literate talent and supportive government policies has ignited an entrepreneurial boom across the South Asian market.
Amplifying this trend, movies and TV shows — “Physics Wallah – Achcha Teacher,” a show on Amazon’s miniTV, “TVF Pitchers” on Zee5, “Shark Tank” on Sony, to name a few — are increasingly spotlighting startup stories, creating a symbiotic relationship between real-life innovation and its cinematic portrayal.