US-based cab-hailing firm Uber is going to handhold about 20 ‘social impact’ start-ups. The cab aggregator will work with tech start-up incubator T-Hub to provide mentorship and help the start-ups scale up their operations. The two entities signed an agreement on Tuesday to conduct the UberEXCHANGE programme.

About 10 of the start-ups hand-picked for the programme will be taken to Silicon Valley. “They will get an exposure to the global start-up ecosystem,” said Jay Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer, T-Hub.

Addressing a gathering of the prospective start-ups, investors and fledgling entrepreneurs after signing the agreement, Eric Alexander, president - Business, Uber Asia Pacific, said the company has about 2,000 engineers in Hyderabad. “Pieces of experience in Hyderabad can be learnt by Los Angeles,” he said.

Slush, a start-up accelerator, is also associated with the programme that is aimed at providing guidance to start-ups on critical issues of funding, marketing, operations, finance and technology. T-Hub will call for entries online from start-ups across the country.

“One of the most important things for entrepreneurs is to surround themselves with experienced mentors who understand what they are going through and who can provide the right guidance and support,” Eric said. Uber will organise six separate mentorship sessions with select start-ups across different categories this year. This is the fourth of the six mentoring sessions.

The sessions will culminate in a final meet where 10 start-up finalists will be picked. They will be taken to San Francisco to meet Uber’s senior leadership.

They will also get a chance to meet potential investors.

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