Microsoft plans to work with the Indian space agency to give Indian space tech startups free access to cloud tools, two people said on Thursday, in an effort to The latest by the US tech giant to strengthen relationships with young companies in the South Asian market.
As part of a memorandum of understanding that Microsoft has signed with the Indian Space Research Organization, the company will also provide space technology startups with support to go to market and get them ready to become a space company. become an enterprise.
The startups carefully selected by ISRO will be included in the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub platform, where they will receive free access to a number of tools and resources. These tools include help building and scaling on Azure, as well as GitHub Enterprise, Visual Studio Enterprise, Microsoft 365, and Power BI, and Dynamics 365.
S Somanath, President of ISRO, said: “ISRO’s partnership with Microsoft will greatly benefit space technology startups in analyzing and processing large amounts of satellite data for different applications, using advanced methods such as AI, Machine Learning and Deep Learning”. statement.
“The Microsoft Founders Center for Startups is a useful platform to bring together startups and technology solution providers to support the national space technology ecosystem. We are delighted to work together to support and support entrepreneurs, thereby benefiting the entire Indian economy.”
Indian space tech startups are having a moment.
In June 2020, the Indian government approved reforms in the space sector and established the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) to enable private companies to using ISRO’s infrastructure. The government also established NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) as the commercial arm of the space agency to work closely with private companies and startups.
In November last year, ISRO succeeded launch Vikram-S after much anticipation of a private sector push. Vikram-S, developed by four-year-old start-up Skyroot Aerospace, is a single-stage, rotary-stable solid-fuel rocket with a mass of about 550 kg. It carried three customer payloads, including one from customers outside India.
The South Asian country has 111 space startups registered on the In-SPACe platform, according to an official response shared in the upper house of parliament in December.
While startups such as GIC-backed Skyroot Aerospace and Rocketship.vc-backed Agnikul are developing launch vehicles, Blume Ventures and Pixxel are backed by Lightspeed Partners and ANIC-ARISE and Digantara are funded by Kalaari Capital. satellites are being built.
India’s space startups have raised more than $245.35 million, with $108.52 million poured in 2022 alone, according to data shared by the Indian Space Association. (ISpA) with TechCrunch.
Microsoft made several announcements in India this week when chief executive Satya Nadella visited the South Asian market. The company said earlier this week that HDFC Bank and Yes Bank have signed up to use Azure and other Microsoft cloud services.
