NetApp, a leader in hybrid cloud data services & data management, announces the graduation of its fifth cohort as a part of the demo day of its flagship startup accelerator program, the NetApp Excellerator. The event witnessed the five technology startups, namely - CloudSEK, Senseforth.ai, Lightwing, Coralogix and Curl Analytics, showcasing their technology impact & market opportunity to an eminent audience comprising of VCs, industry leaders and the NetApp leadership team.

The NetApp Excellerator is a mentorship-driven startup accelerator focused on creating an impact in the startup ecosystem through association with a small, yet unique set of data-driven B2B tech startups. The NetApp team, in collaboration with industry-renowned external mentors, coaches the startups on cutting-edge technologies, platforms, tools and business acumen. The participating startups get access to investors and NetApp’s customer portfolio. They also receive an equity-free grant of $15,000, or a NetApp-sponsored POC.

This program has so far mentored 29 B2B technology startups through five cohorts and has evolved to focus on a sponsored proof-of-concept (PoC) model. “This time all of them are getting a paid POC with NetApp, which essentially means we are giving them an opportunity to work with our teams, test their products in the real world, & create stronger go to market opportunities for them with the NetApp sales team. So, this marks the launch of the next evolved model that we are now going to be working on,” says Madhurima Agarwal, Director, Engineering Programs, NetApp India & Leader, NetApp Excellerator.

The PoC model gives the startups a platform to prove the potential of their solutions in the real-world. The startups and NetApp explore technology adjacencies to go to market together and help create technology that changes the world with data. The pitch presentations made by the entrepreneurs at the demo day saw innovations in the space of AI, machine learning-powered log analytics, conversational AI, intelligent automation and digital risk management.

We continue to innovate across our ecosystem and these young startups enable our customers to change their world with data

“The fifth cohort marked the launch of an evolved model where the startups built paid PoCs, which will give them stronger go-to-market opportunities and drive exponential growth. We too have made great strides since our first cohort. Today, we are attracting new-age disruptive companies from around the world,” avers Madhurima. “We’ve engaged deeply with 29 pioneering startups, including three who have had successful exits. This is the proof of the value NetApp has added to our alumni, enabling them to create tangible commercial success in terms of funding, customer acquisitions and successful exits,” she adjoins.

The program’s focus on mature startups and global outlook offers a natural fit for startups from across the world. Coralogix, an Israel-based startup which is part of this cohort, is one such example. Speaking about their experience as participating startup, Lior Redlus, Co-Founder & CTO, Coralogix, says, “Working with the engineering team at NetApp is delightful.” He adds to it, “We found a team of professionals constantly monitoring their systems to make sure they are operating optimally, and eager to understand how Coralogix log analytics can help identify issues faster and reduce time to resolution. We learned about NetApp's technology, and are now evaluating Cloud Volume ONTAP with the innovation team in Israel. We want to work with cutting-edge technology in the cloud.”

Speaking about the NetApp Excellerator program, Ravi Chhabria, MD, NetApp India, says, “We started this program with our own unique outlook as a 27-year-old startup”. “We continue to innovate across our ecosystem and these young startups enable our customers to change their world with data. With our deep expertise in data management we are uniquely positioned to help them navigate next-generation technologies to scale up their business. Their ability to disrupt the tech ecosystem and their vision to drive economic growth is inspiring. Our role as an accelerator is to catapult them to achieve success in delivering compelling solutions to meet customers’ needs. Most importantly, we offer them our trust and credibility, and that is the basis to build any business relationship with a young company,” he concludes.