Interaction - Neeraj Saxena, Managing Partner, XScale Accelerator

Neeraj Saxena, Managing Partner, XScale Accelerator mentors startups each year and supports them in their business growth journey.  The IT MSMEs can collaborate with him -

What's the procedure for startups to get a mentor from your organisation?

Neeraj Saxena - Xscale runs an Accelerator programme for startups focusing on sales and global expansion. Startups founders can apply for the Accelerator programme through the Xscale website. Anyone admitted to the programme gets one or more dedicated mentors.

How do you help the mentored startups to avail of the international market opportunities?

Neeraj Saxena - A significant number of Xscale Team(Mentors) are located outside of India in regions such as the USA, UK and Singapore. They come from sales and marketing functions and hold profiles of VP-Sales, Chief Marketing Officers, etc in Fortune-500 companies. Being at such a senior level and located in the desired region, they have direct access to decision-makers in the customer organisation, so they can open doors for startups and drive quick decision making. Also, Xscale helps set up a demand generation engine, i.e., creating a funnel from India and then creating an onsite distribution channel in the form of resellers, partners, or the company's own sales force to make the sales happen in international markets.

What are your funding sources for this work?

Neeraj Saxena - Xscale has an internal fund that it invests in Startups. Moreover, Xscale has tie-ups with VC funds and angel networks who participate in funding round along with Xscale. 

What is the USP of Xscale?

Neeraj Saxena - Xscale was founded by Industry leaders who have led businesses for Fortune-500 companies and unicorns. Some of the reasons why Xscale is one of its kind accelerator programs in India -

• Deep Commitment:A very focused accelerator that works with only 12-15 high-potential startups a year. There are no cohorts, and each startup gets a dedicated Mentor who spends exclusive time with the startup every week. Each mentor puts their personal capital in the startup they mentor.
• GTM & Sales Focus:Xscale focuses on defining a clear Go-To-Market plan (Target customer segment, Sales channel selection, Positioning, and Pricing), Developing sales strategies, and provide help in implementing them.
• Global Access:With our Mentors sitting in international geographies and have strong local connections, Xscale helps startups expand beyond India.
• Senior Mentors:Our mentors are senior Industry leaders themselves; apart from providing guidance based on their rich experience, they have direct access to decision-makers of potential customers/partners. They can establish connections at the right levels for quick decision-making.
• Funding: Besides bringing in other partner VC firms, Xscale has an internal corpus and invests up to INR 15 million in our accelerator startups.

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