GSF rolls out ad tech accelerator

MUMBAI: After announcing a dedicated mobile accelerator, GSF is now launching Digital Media Labs which will train and fund 10 digital media and advertising tech startups in 2015. Spread over four months, startups from each of the two batches every year will spend time in India, the Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, New York and Singapore.
Last week, TOI had reported that the two-year-old Gurgaon-based technology startup accelerator behind Little Eye Labs, which was acquired by Facebook, plans to launch more specialized vertical programmes going forward.Digital Media Labs, as it's being called, will follow the same two-stage investing structure as the M-Accelerator wherein first GSF will pump $40,000-50,000 into each of the startups and then pick up about 25-50% in the venture out of the seed round in select startups.
Digital Media Labs is a platform for disruptive startups to get access to global mentoring, networks and funding opportunities, GSF founder Rajesh Sawhney told TOI.
GSF's current portfolio in the space includes Gigstart, a marketplace for performing artists which also has Snapdeal co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal as angel investors, Viki which is a crowd-sourcing platform for video subtitling, among others. Viki was sold to Japan's Rakuten last year. Flintobox and Wizenworld are some of the other GSF startups in the media and ad tech space.
GSF Accelerator has funded 33 startups across three batches since its inception in 2012.