Indian start-up GoKwik wins FedEx Express AMEA small business grant contest

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, announced the Winner of the 2022 Small Business Grant Contest (SBGC) TM in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region.

The winner of the contest was Chirag Taneja, Co-founder and CEO, GoKwik – an e-commerce company on a mission to help direct-to-consumer brands and marketplaces increase their sales through its Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning software. The company was awarded a grant of US$ 30,000.

The following three small businesses were accorded Special Mentions and awarded a cash prize of US$13,000 each:

• Indonesia: Tiger Fang, Cofounder and CEO, Kargo Technologies – a logistics platform connecting shippers with truckers to bring down logistics costs by removing middlemen and reducing empty trips.
• China: Hsu Po-Lin, Founder & CEO, magAssist – a MedTech company that develops circulatory support devices for acute/severe cardiac and pulmonary failure.
• Singapore: Gillian Tee, Founder and CEO, Homage – a healthcare services platform that caters to adults and the elderly, connecting households with licensed caregivers, nurses, therapists and physicians.

A panel of judges from FedEx and Forbes Asia selected the SBGC winners from among the AMEA region's most outstanding start-ups and small businesses across a broad spectrum of industries. Four companies stood out with their remarkable vision and scalable business ideas.

"Entrepreneurs like these are shaping the future of business. From an AI-powered e-commerce solution to helping patients manage heart conditions, the winning companies are demonstrating how digital transformation is creating possibilities and impacting lives," said Kawal Preet, president of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region at FedEx Express. "In the past, we've seen the winners of our competition take their businesses to the next level with the help of a FedEx grant. That's what FedEx is passionate about — giving small businesses the right resources, tools and solutions they need, while remaining a trusted advisor to help them accelerate their business on the global stage."

"At FedEx, we strongly believe that the future of our socio-economic development is dependent on small businesses, and for decades, we've been finding ways to provide entrepreneurs with greater access to possibilities and bring them a step closer to their goal to win in cross-border trade, said Suvendu Choudhury, Managing Director – International Operations, FedEx Express, India. I'm excited to see an Indian company win this highly competitive award and inspire other small businesses to dream big."