Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Microsoft on January 5 signed a memorandum of understanding to help Indian space tech start-ups with technology tools, go-to-market support and mentoring to help them scale and become business ready.
This comes at a time when the Indian space tech start-up ecosystem is seeing a lot of activity. The ecosystem had a historic year in 2022, with the country recording its first private rocket launch apart from many satellite launches. The new year also began with Bengaluru-based space tech company Digantara launching their satellite aboard a Space X rocket.
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Through this tie-up, the space tech startups identified by ISRO will be onboarded onto the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, a platform that aims to support start-ups at every stage.
Through Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, space-tech startup founders in India will have free access to the tech tools, and resources they need to build and run their business, a statement by Microsoft said.
This includes technical support to build and scale on Azure, developer and productivity tools including GitHub Enterprise, Visual Studio Enterprise and Microsoft 365 and access to smart analytics with Power BI and Dynamics 365.
Beyond access to technology, Microsoft will provide mentoring support to space tech entrepreneurs in areas ranging from space engineering to cloud technologies, product and design, fundraising and sales and marketing.
In addition, founders will have access to Microsoft Learn for tailored startup centric training content and programs to help them build connections with the industry and potential customers.
Microsoft and ISRO will also jointly organise knowledge sharing and thought leadership sessions for the startups with space industry experts.
In addition, the collaboration will support founders with go-to-market strategies, technical support and opportunities to sell their solutions via Microsoft channels and marketplace.
S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, said, “ISRO’s collaboration with Microsoft will greatly benefit space tech startups in their analysis and processing of vast amounts of satellite data for various applications, using cutting-edge methods like AI, Machine Learning and Deep Learning."
"The Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a useful platform for bringing together startups and providers of technology solutions to support the national space technology ecosystem,” Somanath said.
Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said, “Space tech startups in India are playing a significant role in advancing the country’s space capabilities with the power of technology."
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