MOTION, Centre of Entrepreneurship (CoE) - Automotive (ACES)

Check the company type first

• The centre takes a private limited company, a registered partnership firm or a limited liability partnership.
• If the company is not yet registered, you can apply in the founders' names, but the company must be registered within 3 months of selection.

Check the age of the company

• Registration or incorporation should not be more than 10 years old.
• An annual turnover cap applies. Read the figure on the apply page, because it can change.

Show an innovation, not a reseller

• The company should be working on innovation, development or improvement of products, services or processes.
• It should be able to create employment or wealth.

Plan for the costs and the equity

• The apply page sets a monthly fee for each seat, plus tax.
• It also says a start-up shall offer equity to STPI or STPINEXT, as decided and agreed.

Ask about the current intake

• The apply page gives no intake date, so confirm that applications are open.
• Write to motion@stpi.in with your company type, incorporation date and focus area.

MOTION is a Centre of Entrepreneurship in Pune for start-ups building in autonomous, connected, electric and shared (ACES) mobility. It is an initiative of Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and it offers a physical incubation facility and domain-specific labs for start-ups in the area.

What the centre offers

The centre's home page groups its offer into six areas: physical lab facilities, incubation and co-working space, technology and business mentoring, marketing and networking, access to funding and investment, and IPR support. Administration, human resources, finance and legal help sit alongside these as additional services.

Partners

The centre names the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Government of Maharashtra among its partners. TiE Mumbai runs the Open Challenge Program for the centre, and Freshworks offers a software credit programme to start-ups linked to selected incubators and accelerators. NRDC handles IPR filing under the STPI memorandum.

How the centre supports start-ups

The centre gives start-ups a ready-to-work plug-and-play space with high speed internet, a network operation centre, a 24 x 7 x 365 days operational work space and round the clock security. Member start-ups also get access to the ACES labs.

A dedicated portfolio manager and a start-up support executive follow each company. The centre reviews progress from time to time and can step in where needed. Its mentoring is meant to move a company from idea to prototype, from prototype to a minimum viable product, and from there to go-to-market, and then into a full company. Mentors help start-ups find prototyping, design and manufacturing partners, and run peer meetings at regular intervals.

The centre also runs need-based sessions on legal, compliance, branding, cyber security and other technical areas. It offers funding guidance, helping start-ups raise money for proof of concept, MVP and marketing through grants, equity and debt, and it runs marketing knowledge sessions, road shows, networking events and social media outreach.

Intellectual property

STPI has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to help start-ups file intellectual property. The support covers patenting, drafting and filing, trademarks, copyright and related legal and statutory work.

Who can apply

The centre's apply page sets out the eligibility rules. The company must be a private limited company, a registered partnership firm or a limited liability partnership. Its date of registration or incorporation should not be more than 10 years back. A founder may apply in their own name if the company is not yet registered, but the company must then be registered within 3 months of selection.

The start-up must not have been formed by splitting up or reconstructing an existing business. It should work on innovation, development or improvement of products, services or processes, and it should have the potential to create employment or wealth. An annual turnover cap also applies.

The focus areas are autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, electric vehicles and shared vehicles.

Terms

The centre charges a monthly fee for each seat, plus tax. The apply page also says that a start-up shall offer equity to STPI or STPINEXT, as decided and agreed.

Who runs it

Shri Ajay Prasad Shrivastava is listed as CEO of MOTION CoE and FASAL CoE in Pune. Dr. Ganesh Natarajan is listed as Chief Mentor of the CoE.

Locations

The CoE facility is on the ground floor of Electronic Sadan-III in the MIDC area of Bhosari, Pune. STPI's contact office for the centre is in the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park at Hinjawadi, Pune.

Things to check before you apply

The apply page does not state an intake window or a deadline for the programme. The site carries a 2021 copyright line, and its recruitment notice had a last date in 2024. Ask the centre whether applications are open before you plan around this route.