Microsoft & Accenture Join Hands For Hosting A Startup Challenge In India

Microsoft is collaborating with Accenture to host the third edition of the Accenture Ventures Challenge for startups in India.

This collaboration is the first corporate access partnership for Microsoft‘s 100X100X100 programme in India. The 100X100X100 programme of Microsoft was launched earlier this year (february) in India, to bring together 100 committed companies and 100 early and growth startups with enterprise-ready SaaS solutions.

The participating companies also commit $100K over a period of 18-24 months on solutions provided by the startups. The Accenture Ventures Challenge is to be held on August 11 in a virtual format and the 12 winners would be announced on the same day.

This year’s edition of the annual challenge will recognise startups in India across four categories:

– supply chain resilience

– channel shift to digital commerce

– systems resilience

– responsible technology.

The challenge aims to identify the best B2B tech startups to develop solutions for real-world challenges faced by businesses.

Accenture Ventures Challenge 2020 will identify 12 innovative startups that are helping to address the business and human impact of CoViD-19, driving innovation in the never normal era.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made things even more challenging, and at the back of digital innovations, the startup ecosystem in India has stalled significantly.
The winner in each category will be given an opportunity to join the Accenture Ventures Open Innovation partner program and co-create solutions for Accenture clients around the world.

Winners will also get access to benefits from the Microsoft ScaleUp program, which supports Seed or Series A B2B startups to scale and co-sell with Microsoft sales teams.
The 100X100X100 program will help enterprises fast track their digital transformation through faster adoption of SaaS solutions.
It will make available a variety of curated, ready to launch, enterprise grade solutions from startups with a proven track record.

At the same time, it will aim to create a profitable domestic market for the fast growing Indian B2B SaaS startup segment by increasing their revenue and customer base.

These startups will also have access to regular speed-contracting sessions with prospective customers at Microsoft industry and customer events. The Microsoft ScaleUp program (previously called the Microsoft Accelerator) aims to support Series A-C tech startups with corporate access to Marketing, Sales, Support and Technical resources.

What do you think are some of the innovative startups which have come up during the Covid-era?