Know all about Startup MAARG Portal to get Mentor for guidance
If you are a Startup & are looking for mentorship from industry experts, successful founders & investors, this is for you! Govt. has opened applications for registering on the National Mentorship Platform, MAARG .
Apply & open your window to success: https://maarg.startupindia.gov.in
What is startup India ?
Startup India was launched by Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi on 16th January 2016 as a clarion call to the innovators, entrepreneurs, and thinkers of the nation to lead India’s sustainable economic growth and create large-scale employment opportunities. Aimed to make India one of the largest and vigorous startup ecosystems, a 19-point Startup India Action Plan was launched in January 2016, which paved the way for a number of policy initiatives to build a strong, conducive, and growth-oriented environment for Indian startups.
What is MAARG Portal ?
The MAARG Portal by Startup India is a one stop mentorship platform to facilitate mentorship for startups across diverse sectors, functions whatstages, geographies, and backgrounds. Startups can connect with academicians, industry experts, successful founders, seasoned investors, and other experts to get personalized advice on growth strategy, seek clarity, and get practical advice
Objectives of MAARG Portal by Startup India
1.To provide guidance and support to startups throughout their lifecycle
2. To establish a formalised and structured platform that facilitates intelligent matchmaking between mentors and startups across varied sectors at scale
3.To establish an outcome-oriented mechanism that allows tracking of progress of the mentor-startups engagements
Key Functions of MAARG Program
How it Works
Get A Mentor – Register your profile. Get AI matchmaking recommendation based on sector, stage, and functional skillset.
Send A Request – Select from the list recommended by platform AI or select your own. Send request for confirmation.
Schedule Sessions – Set personalized goals. Manage mentorship interactions via our guided approach and collaboration dashboard.
Manage Outcomes – Submit session reports, project reports and feedback. Monitor progress of the process, goals and outcomes.
Who Can Become a Mentor?
MAARG Program by Startup India invites experts to register and provide guidance to startups throughout the year.
The Role of a Mentor
Benefits of Becoming a Mentor
Share your expertise with the startup community and contribute indirectly to the economy and job creation of India.
- BECOME A SILVER, GOLD, OR PLATINUM MENTOR – Based on the feedback of startups, time committed, and other factors
- RECEIVE INCENTIVES FROM STARTUP INDIA – Invitation to national and international programs, and access to networking
- GET RECOGNITION FROM STARTUP INDIA – Receive mentor badges, appreciation letters, special social media coverage
How to Contribute
Become an Individual Mentor – Register as an individual mentor to get matched with startups.
Joint a cohort based program – Join a cohort-based program as one of the mentors.
Host the cohort based program– Register and start your own cohort pro
How to Participate :
Who Can Get a Mentor?
All DPIIT-recognized startups, from all sectors and stages of startup lifecycle, are eligible to apply for mentorship on the platform all year-round.
The Benefits of Mentorship
Sustain and grow your business fundamentals and gain lifelong connects by tapping into our mentorship program
1.Get target guidance -Access to personalized advice from experts on setting up and scaling your business.
2.Solve for your challenges -Understand the gaps and challenges in your business and seek solution ideas.
3.Tap into mentor experience -Gain from the depth of expertise and the networks of your mentor.
4.Access topic specific expertise -Join specific cohort programs or attend masterclasses for your unique needs.
Cohort Programs
Cohort-based programs (CBP) will be hosted on the mentorship portal in collaboration with partners from the startup ecosystem. Partners such as industry associations, incubators, accelerators, academia, various startup networks (for unicorns, successful startups, professionals, etc.), shall be able to host cohort-based, limited-duration mentorship programs on the portal
How to host a Cohort Program on the MAARG Portal
1.Register your cohort -Submit Cohort Application via platform by providing program and mentor details
2.Get cohort publishsed – After screening and review by DPIIT, view the published Cohort Program on our site
3. Invite startup application -Get visibility on MAARG Portal to invite DPIIT startups
4. Select & Match startups -Select startups and match them to mentors based on our AI match or your choice
5. Manage cohort program-View and manage all cohort and mentorship details and KPIs via our platform
Frequently Asked Questions
1.How does the platform work ?
Each user can register on the platform as a Mentor or Startup. After publishing of the profile, the platform will matchmake mentors and Startups using artificial intelligence based on sector, stage, and functional skillset. Either party can send a connection request to a desired mentor/Startup and once the request is accepted, the mentorship can be started. Each mentorship connection will be tracked for evaluating progress and feedback. Following the sessions, the mentors and Startups will be prompted to update the session details in their respective dashboards namely duration of session, specific topic etc. In case the sessions are not updated, the users will not be able to proceed further for scheduling the next session. Note: The mentorship session videos and chats may be recorded for quality purposes.
2. Is this a paid mentorship platform?
No, the mentorship offerings provided on the platform are completely pro bono.
3. What is the validity of my registration on this portal ?
For mentors, there is no period of expiry of membership on this portal. Startups can participate in the program as long as they have a valid DPIIT recognition certificate.
4.Under what circumstances will my enrolment to the program be removed ?
Mentors or Startups can be removed from the program for a definite or indefinite time by DPIIT in the following cases, including but not limited to:
- No response to more than 5 mentorship requests for 30 days shall be considered as non-responsiveness.
- More than 75% feedback found to be negative from mentors or Startups.
- In case of misbehaviour or misconduct reported by mentor or Startup.
- Dissemination of misleading information or socially unacceptable content..
- Information submitted in the application form found to be false.
- Unauthorized advertisement of any entity, program, individual, product, etc.
- Request for any monetary or non-monetary benefit for mentorship.
- Any other reason noted by DPIIT as inappropriate conduct.
In the above-listed cases, the decision to remove any user will be taken after investigation of matter by DPIIT (except 1 and 2).
5. Am I eligible to be a Startup ?
All DPIIT-recognized startups, from all sectors and stages of startup lifecycle, are eligible to apply for mentorship on the platform all year-round.
6.How can i get recognized as a startup by DPIIT?
Under the Startup India initiative, eligible companies can get recognised as Startups by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in order to access a host of benefits by the Government of India. An entity which fulfils the eligibility conditions as notified in G.S.R. 127 (E) issued by DPIIT dated 19th February 2019 can apply for DPIIT Recognition on the .
7. How can i find a mentor ?
After registration and publishing of your profile, the platform will matchmake mentors and Startups using artificial intelligence based on sector, stage, and functional skillset. Either party can send a connection request to a desired mentor/Startup and once the request is accepted, the mentorship can be started. Multiple mentors can be assigned to a Startup and vice versa.
8. What happens if the mentor I reach out to is unresponsive ?
The portal is enabled to send multiple mentorship requests to several mentors at the same time. In case, any mentor is not responding to the request within 15 working days, the request will be pulled back and a new set of mentors will be suggested.
9. What will be the duration of the mentorship ?
The mentorship duration shall be mutually between the mentor and Startup for a definite time period.
10. What will be the duration of the mentorship ?
The mentorship duration shall be mutually between the mentor and Startup for a definite time period.
11. Am I eligible to be a mentor ?
- Building a startup or working in a startup
- Investing in a startup or helping startups raise investments
- Running an incubator or working in an incubation facility
- Running an accelerator or working in an accelerator
- Mentoring a startup in the past or being on the board of advisors of a startup
- Teaching management or a technical subject at a graduation or postgraduation academic institution
- Working with a State Government, Central Government, Foundation, NGO, Non-Profit Entity, or any other organization to promote entrepreneurship and innovation
- Working in a business vertical (such as marketing, HR, operations, business development, website or app development
12. What is the overall monthly commitment required from my side ?
The overall monthly commitment required from a mentor’s side is mentioned below:
- Response to mentorship request sent by the Startups within 15 days
- Regular mentorship interactions with the connected startups (as mutually agreed)
- Setting meetings directly from the portal and updating information regarding the sessions and progress in a timely fashion
- Knowledge sharing through one-to-many sessions, reports, webinars, etc.
13. How will I get Startups ?
After registration and publishing of your profile, the platform will matchmake mentors and Startups using artificial intelligence based on sector, stage, and functional skillset. Either party can send a connection request to a desired mentor/Startup and once the request is accepted, the mentorship can be started. Multiple mentors can be assigned to a Startup and vice versa.
14. How do I earn a badge on the portal ?
The mentors associated with the program will be scored basis their performance. DPIIT and Startup India shall categorize the mentor basis the feedback of startups, time dedicated, and any other parameters into Platinum Mentors, Gold Mentors, and Silver Mentors. The mentors shall receive incentives basis their classification.
Mentor’s Performance – Evaluation Criteria for Badges
| Factor (to be scored out of 100) | Weightage | Inductive Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of days taken to respond to startup’s request | 30 | Total mentoring hours in the last quarter a. Less than 15 hours (50% Marks) b. 15-30 hours (75% Marks) c. >30 hours (100% Marks) |
| Number of days taken to respond to startup’s request | 30 | Average number of days in the last quarter a. More than 14 days (25% Marks) b. From 7 to 14 days (50% Marks) c. <7 days (100% Marks) |
| Rating and feedback received from startups | 30 | Average rating of startups in the last quarter a. less than 3 starts (25% Marks) b. 3-4 stars (50% Marks) c. 4+ stars (100% Marks) |
| Number of startups graduated by the mentor (Bonus Marks). A startup is considered a graduate when its mentorship needs are met, is able to show tangible outcomes, or is able to move to the next stage | 30 | Total mentoring hours in the last quarter a. Fewer than 3 startups (25% marks) b. 3-5 startups (50% Marks) c. 5+ startups (100% Marks) |
The Quarters will be synced with financial year (April-March)
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