Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program Expands with Five AI and Battery Recycling Startups

The Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program has inducted five emerging technology startups into its fifth cohort, reinforcing the company's commitment to innovation through strategic collaboration. The latest intake, announced on June 29, was carried out under the Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program (MSIP), which is operated in partnership with IIM Bangalore's NSRCEL. The newly selected startups—MiniMines, Easework AI, Sarvam AI, Siftly, and CodeMate AI—will contribute specialized expertise across battery recycling and multiple artificial intelligence applications that support automotive business operations.

Focus Areas of the Fifth MSIP Cohort

The five startups have been selected to address a diverse range of technological priorities that align with Maruti Suzuki's long-term innovation strategy. MiniMines will assist the company in recycling end-of-life lithium-ion batteries while recovering valuable materials from discarded battery packs. The remaining startups will develop AI-powered solutions spanning procurement automation, multilingual customer engagement, brand visibility enhancement using generative AI, and AI-assisted software application development. These initiatives are intended to improve operational efficiency while accelerating digital transformation across different business functions.

The following startups have joined the fifth cohort of the Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program:

• MiniMines – Recycling end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and extracting reusable materials.
• Easework AI – Developing agentic AI solutions for procurement automation.
• Sarvam AI – Building multilingual generative AI agents for customer interactions.
• Siftly – Applying generative AI to improve brand visibility.
• CodeMate AI – Supporting AI-assisted software application development.

Innovation Program Continues to Expand

Since its launch in August 2020, the Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program has become an important component of the company's wider innovation ecosystem. Across its broader startup engagement initiatives over the past seven years, the company has evaluated nearly 7,400 startups, actively engaged with more than 250, and onboarded 38 as technology partners. This expanding network reflects Maruti Suzuki's continued investment in collaborating with startups that can introduce advanced technologies, sustainable solutions, and artificial intelligence capabilities to support future business growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program?
The Maruti Suzuki Incubation Program is a startup collaboration initiative designed to identify and support innovative technology companies that can contribute to the automaker's future business objectives. Operated in partnership with NSRCEL at IIM Bangalore, the program provides startups with opportunities to develop and validate solutions in collaboration with Maruti Suzuki. It focuses on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, automation, and digital transformation to strengthen innovation across the company's operations.

Which startups joined the fifth cohort of the program?
Five startups were selected for the fifth cohort, each contributing expertise in different technology domains that support Maruti Suzuki's innovation roadmap. The selected companies are MiniMines, Easework AI, Sarvam AI, Siftly, and CodeMate AI. Their work includes lithium-ion battery recycling, procurement automation using agentic AI, multilingual generative AI for customer engagement, AI-powered brand visibility solutions, and AI-assisted software application development to improve business efficiency.

How extensive is Maruti Suzuki's startup engagement program?
Maruti Suzuki has steadily expanded its startup ecosystem through structured innovation initiatives over several years. Since the incubation program began in 2020, and across its broader startup engagement activities spanning seven years, the company has screened around 7,400 startups, collaborated with more than 250, and onboarded 38 as active technology partners. These partnerships enable the company to explore advanced technologies while supporting innovation-driven growth and operational improvements.