Four start-up founders, who were selected by Apple a week ago scheduled to meet a team from Cupertino as a part of developer meeting, were in for a pleasant surprise on Wednesday when Apple CEO Tim Cook walked in.
The four startups were home services application UrbanClap , software products maker Cynapse (also known as Numerics), online shopping application Sweetcouch and Avaz , which has developed speech therapy app for autistic children.
Cook took an active part in understanding at what the country’s young mobile app developers are building and getting to know the Indian startup ecosystem. The meeting lasted for an hour at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. Other executives present at the meeting were Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams and vice president of iTunes International, Oliver Schusser.
The four startups had Raghav Chandra, co-founder of UrbanClap; Sweetcouch founder Rajesh Chokhani; Cynapse founder Apurva Roy Choudhury and Ajit Narayanan, founder of Chennai-based Invention Labs, which runs Avaz.
Four start-up founders, who were selected by Apple a week ago scheduled to meet a team from Cupertino as a part of developer meeting, were in for a pleasant surprise on Wednesday when Apple CEO Tim Cook walked in.
Four start-up founders, who were selected by Apple a week ago scheduled to meet a team from Cupertino as a part of developer meeting, were in for a pleasant surprise on Wednesday when Apple CEO Tim Cook walked in.
The four startups were home services application UrbanClap , software products maker Cynapse (also known as Numerics), online shopping application Sweetcouch and Avaz , which has developed speech therapy app for autistic children.
Cook took an active part in understanding at what the country’s young mobile app developers are building and getting to know the Indian startup ecosystem. The meeting lasted for an hour at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai. Other executives present at the meeting were Apple’s chief operating officer Jeff Williams and vice president of iTunes International, Oliver Schusser.
The four startups had Raghav Chandra, co-founder of UrbanClap; Sweetcouch founder Rajesh Chokhani; Cynapse founder Apurva Roy Choudhury and Ajit Narayanan, founder of Chennai-based Invention Labs, which runs Avaz.
Chokhani of Sweetcouch , told media, “He had questions and feedback as well for the team. Cook was impressed by the way Sweetcouch is working there in-app messaging feature. I wasn’t expecting to meet him and it was great. He was very humble, enthusiastic and casual.”
Sweetcouch has a ‘Chit-Chat’ feature that allows users to browse through products and converse with friends without leaving the platform or taking screenshots.
The meeting took place after Apple had announced the launch of a “design and development” startup accelerator in Bangalore. Cook had stated earlier in the day that the new accelerator facility would help iOS developers create innovative apps for the company’s customers globally and that the new facility would provide resources to support entrepreneurs.
All the four startups gave a demo of their iOS mobile applications to Cook, who was full of questions and even insights about the applications.
UrbanClap informed media that Cook asked specific questions about the services’ marketing platform and depth of integration with professionals. UrbanClap provides services like a home beauty treatment, booking Yoga classes and tutors, and hiring plumbers and carpenters through its application.
Chokhani of Sweetcouch , told media, “He had questions and feedback as well for the team. Cook was impressed by the way Sweetcouch is working there in-app messaging feature. I wasn’t expecting to meet him and it was great. He was very humble, enthusiastic and casual.”
Sweetcouch has a ‘Chit-Chat’ feature that allows users to browse through products and converse with friends without leaving the platform or taking screenshots.
The meeting took place after Apple had announced the launch of a “design and development” startup accelerator in Bangalore. Cook had stated earlier in the day that the new accelerator facility would help iOS developers create innovative apps for the company’s customers globally and that the new facility would provide resources to support entrepreneurs.
All the four startups gave a demo of their iOS mobile applications to Cook, who was full of questions and even insights about the applications.
UrbanClap also confirmed media about the meeting and said that Cook asked specific questions about the services’ marketing platform and depth of integration with professionals. UrbanClap provides services like a home beauty treatment, booking Yoga classes and tutors, and hiring plumbers and carpenters through its application.
