Microsoft joins Accenture to nurture B2B startups in India

New Delhi: Microsoft on Tuesday announced to collaborate with global professional services company Accenture to host the third edition of the Accenture Ventures Challenge for B2B startups in India.

This year's edition will recognise startups in India in four categories: supply chain resilience, channel shift to digital commerce, systems resilience and responsible technology.

Microsoft in February launched the "100X100X100" programme to bring 100 companies to commit $100,000 each for enterprise-ready solutions from 100 business-to-business (B2B) startups in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) space in India over the course of 18 months.

Launched in 2018, the Accenture Ventures Challenge identifies the best B2B tech startups to develop solutions for real-world challenges faced by businesses.

"This initiative will truly help startups evolve from being market-ready to enterprise-ready with the best resources and support from both Microsoft and Accenture," said Lathika Pai, country head, Microsoft for Startups, MENA & SAARC.

The event is scheduled to be held on August 11 in a virtual format.

Accenture Ventures Challenge 2020 will identify 12 innovative startups that are helping to address the business and human impact of COVID-19.

The winner in each category will be given an opportunity to join the Accenture Ventures Open Innovation partner programme and co-create solutions for Accenture clients around the world.

Winners will also get access to benefits from the Microsoft ScaleUp programme, which supports Seed or Series A B2B startups to scale and co-sell with Microsoft sales teams.

"The ongoing business disruption requires an urgent response, and we are confident that we'll discover innovative new solutions from deep tech startups to help solve some of the most pressing business and human challenges," said Avnish Sabharwal, managing director for Accenture Ventures and Open Innovation in India.