Cars24, India’s largest AI-native automotive ecosystem, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to strengthen India’s startup ecosystem through mentorship, skilling, AI enablement and investment support.
The partnership aims to nurture product startups, innovators and entrepreneurs by providing structured programmes focused on founder development, access to funding, technology support and road safety innovation.
Five-pronged startup support
Under the MoU, Cars24 will institutionalise dedicated programmes for early-stage startups by connecting founders to its mentor network, infrastructure, funding ecosystem, market linkages and operational expertise.
DPIIT, through the Startup India platform, will facilitate wider ecosystem access, national outreach, co-branded initiatives, policy engagement and knowledge-sharing to help startups scale faster.
The collaboration will be built around five major initiatives.
Founder mentorship
The Cars24 Founders’ Fellowship will provide strategic guidance and mentorship to early-stage entrepreneurs, helping them navigate the challenges of building and scaling businesses.
AI and mobility focus
The partnership will introduce mobility and autotech skilling programmes to equip entrepreneurs with the knowledge, technical capabilities and execution skills required to build next-generation mobility ventures.
Through Cars24 Labs, startups will gain access to AI capabilities, technical expertise and product development support to accelerate innovation.
Funding access
Cars24 will also launch Fuel by Cars24, a platform designed to connect promising mobility startups with investors and funding opportunities, helping them secure capital for growth.
In addition, the company and DPIIT will jointly organise an annual Innovation Challenge and Road Safety Hackathon to identify breakthrough ideas that improve mobility, vehicle technology and road safety across the country.
Strengthening Startup India
Cars24 said the collaboration reflects its commitment to giving back to the startup ecosystem that helped shape its own growth journey. The company intends to leverage its operational scale, technology expertise and industry experience to support entrepreneurs working on AI, mobility, credit access and road safety solutions.
Support for NextGen entrepreneurs
Cars24 Builder Vikram Chopra said the company wanted to support the next generation of entrepreneurs with more than just advice.
“Cars24 is proof that Indian founders can start with a difficult, everyday problem and build something on a national scale. Through this partnership with DPIIT, we want to back the next generation of builders by giving them access to capital, talent and a real platform to test ideas that can make India move smarter and safer,” he said.
A senior DPIIT official said industry participation is critical to strengthening India’s startup ecosystem.
“Collaborations where established companies open up their scale, mentorship and resources to early-stage founders create the bridge between ambition and execution that young startups need. We welcome Cars24’s commitment to supporting product startups across the country,” the official said.