Facebook Picks 15 Indian Communities For Its Accelerator Programme

Meta-owned social media platform Facebook has introduced a community accelerator programme for Indian community leaders of Facebook groups. 

Under the four-month-long accelerator program along with Hyderabad-based incubator I-T Hub, Meta has selected 15 Indian community leaders. Further, the social media giant will offer up to $40K to each leader.  

Besides, the selected community leaders will also receive training, mentoring and funding as part of the Facebook accelerator program.  

Explaining the same, Facebook said that selected Indian community leaders will learn from experts via a customised curriculum and coaching. They will also have access to knowledge-sharing sessions and will get opportunities to network with other players of the industry.

“The accelerator programme will help community leaders learn how to create an engaging community using various content formats. This year, participants will have to identify an initiative that will help deepen their community’s impact by mobilizing members around a goal and creating a development plan around it to be executed in 2023,” Facebook added.

The 15 Indian Facebook communities, whose leaders have made to the Facebook’s accelerator programme include 

1. UNIMO Universe of Moms
2. Genshin Impact Asia
3. Indian Birds 
4. Balcony Gardening Tips
5. Telugu Moms Network 
6. The Order of Pen 
7. Office Memes For Working Teens (OMFWT) 
8. WeWomen 
9. Nishamadhulika Recipe Group (Official) 
10. Parent Tribe by SuperBottoms
11. Battlegrounds Mobile India
12. Depression and Anxiety support 
13. Dog Lover 
14. Delhi Foodiez
15. Backpackers & Travelers India (BATI)

Meta’s Reidentified India Focus

In recent years, social media giant Meta has sharpened its focus on the Indian economy by either introducing India-focused initiatives or partnering with the Indian government. 

Recently, director and head of partnerships for Facebook India (Meta), Manish Chopra, said that India has become one of the significant countries for the new initiatives that are developed on Meta’s social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp).

This month, Meta India reported that in the fiscal year 2021-22, Facebook India Online Services’ advertisement revenue climbed by 74% year-on-year (YoY) to INR 16,189 Cr as compared to INR 9,326 Cr revenue clocked in the previous fiscal year (FY21). 

Meanwhile, Facebook India’s net profit increased by 132% YoY to INR 297 Cr in the FY22 against INR 136 Cr profit recorded in the previous fiscal year.  

In September, Meta partnered with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Startup Hub to launch an accelerator program to support extended reality startups in the country.

In March, Meta got associated with VC fund Kalaari Capital, as part of its ‘VC Brand Incubator Initiative’, to help Indian companies scale themselves through business skilling support.