GSF’s mobile accelerator is taking these 8 Indian startups to San Francisco, Berlin, and Singapore

More than 80 percent of mobile phone users in India opt for prepaid plans, and only a small minority have post-paid subscriptions. In the US, it’s the other way round, whereas in China it’s about 50-50, according to a Nielsen study (PDF link).

India is a mobile-first or mobile-only market as most people access the internet through smartphones. And yet, the mobile internet is 16 times faster in Singapore compared to India.

These are a few examples of the wide variance in mobile ecosystems that startups targeting global markets need to keep in mind. GSF’s new mobile accelerator program in India tries to help them make the leap. The 14-week program includes seven weeks in India, followed by four weeks in the San Francisco Bay Area, one week in Germany, and finally, a week in Singapore. This will give entrepreneurs the opportunity to familiarize themselves with different mobile markets and connect with a variety of peers, mentors, and investors.

Rajesh Sawhney, founder of GSF, explains to Tech in Asia how this helps:

Many of our startups serve demanding customers across the world. Incubation in multiple markets helps them build a global network and perspective. Our earlier batch startups such as Little Eye Labs (acquired by Facebook), Silverpush (now incorporated in the US), HackerEarth, and Pokkt (now headquartered in Singapore) have benefitted immensely from this.

The GSF m-accelerator program, which kicked off last month, will take eight mobile startups to the US next month and wind up later in Singapore. The eight startups for this program, picked from over 500 aspirants, cover a wide range of mobile business models – from a marketplace for jewelry to analytics to optimize phone usage. Here is the group of eight:

1. TalkMore

The TalkMore app analyzes calls, messages, and data usage on your mobile phone to recommend the best mobile subscription plans in India. This can save up to 30 percent of your mobile bill, it claims. Three IITians, each with 10-plus years of product experience, are behind this app.

2. Rentongo

Rentongo is a mobile marketplace for rented goods. These range from furniture and electronic appliances to motor bikes and adventure gear. It’s currently operational in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune.

3. Gamezop

Gamezop is buiding a social gaming network for casual games. Gamezop curates games for users based on their interests and allows them to play these games without downloading any additional apps. Users can see what games their friends are playing, and can share games with friends – even those that may not be on Gamezop.