Already home to a thriving community of iOS developers numbering in the tens of thousands, India is getting a boost from Apple in the form of a Design and Development Accelerator.
Apple is establishing an accelerator program in Bengaluru, India's current capital for startups. Currently in 15th on the Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking, Bengaluru's tech industry is staffed with more than a million people.
"This is a huge vote of confidence in India's developer community and a tremendous opportunity to gain world-class design and development expertise," said Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal. "Apple's support will help drive growth and accelerate progress among the country's vast talent pool."
The company's experts will meet with app developers each week, in briefings and one-on-one sessions, to offer guidance on best practices for iOS and ways to "help them hone their skills and transform the design, quality and performance of their apps," Apple said.
Snapdeal's Kunal Bahl, CEO and co-founder, attests to the value of having Apple's guidance in developing and fine-tuning apps. After Apple helped the Snapdeal team elevate their app and attract more users, Bahl is excited about the company establishing a local presence in the country.
Apple's iOS App Design and Development Accelerator program will move India forward, according to R Chandrashekhar, president of India's National Association of Software and Services Companies. It'll extend the reach of the country's app developers and support the its efforts to drive a tech sector that's founded on growth and sustainability, added Chandrashekhar.
Apple anticipates launching the iOS App Design and Development Accelerator by early 2017.
"India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world," said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. "With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we're giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world."
News of the accelerator programs comes ahead of Cook's first trip to India as head of Apple. While there, Cook will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
