Set in a renovated 130,000* sq. ft building in the heart of the city, the office will also host the Centre for Fuelling India’s New Economy (C-FINE). The new Centre will be dedicated to training and skilling India’s small business owners, creators, entrepreneurs and local communities to enable them to both fuel and leverage the digital transformation underway in the country. The company also announced an ambitious goal of training 1 crore small businesses and entrepreneurs and 2,50,000 creators in the next three years.
The opening of C-FINE adds to a long list of Meta’s India-first approach to its unique products and initiatives that have become the template for the world. These include the launch of Reels on Instagram and Facebook, Live-Rooms on Instagram and Payments on WhatsApp. In addition to enabling India’s small businesses and digital creators, the Centre will also showcase the impact of new technologies on the digital ecosystem of the country and will have a dedicated area for demonstrating how technologies like AR and VR can play a transformative role in sectors such as learning and education, commerce and healthcare. The Centre will also help facilitate community impact programs around important issues such as safety trainings for women and children.
Meta has been part of India’s growth story since 2006, when the company began in Hyderabad with just one app and less than 15 million people using it to connect with friends and family. Having come a long way since, more than 400 million Indians today connect with each other and pursue their passion and business on its apps including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. With C-FINE, Meta is poised to fuel the dreams and ambitions of a billion Indians who are pushing the boundaries of innovation that can empower local communities, unleash creative expression and create local jobs.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology, and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, said, “Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi’s policies and vision is empowering entrepreneurship and opportunities and technology is catalyzing entrepreneurship and fueling growth of investments and economic growth. I hope initiatives like C-FINE, where technology is being positioned to fuel entrepreneurship & innovation and empower youngsters all around the country, take their dreams & create critical mass, size & scale. This is exactly what the power of the Internet and technology should be.”
Mr. Ajit Mohan, Vice-President & Managing Director, Facebook India (Meta) said, “We see this office as an opportunity for us to build a space that will house our largest team in the country. The office will be open to anyone who is driving change – be it creators, small business owners, entrepreneurs, artists or community leaders. The spaces here will see directed, purposeful efforts from Meta to fuel their pursuits, ideas and ambition. That is why we are embracing the ambitious goal of training 1 crore small businesses and 2,50,000 creators. We see this office as a reaffirmation of our commitment to the country, our deep aspiration to be an ally for a country that is rapidly transforming and where technology will play an enabling role in enhancing lives and prosperity of future generations.’’
