Microsoft to collaborate with ISRO to support Indian space-tech start-ups

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and American tech giant Microsoft announced on Thursday that they will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support and empower space technology (space-tech) start-ups in India. The MoU also seeks to fuel the growth of these start-ups with technology tools and platforms, go-to-market support, and mentoring which will further help them scale and become enterprise-ready.   Commenting on this development, S Somanath, Chairman of 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.”   This initiative is a part of Bill Gates’ co-founded company’s Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub campaign which was launched to support the national space technology ecosystem. The program gives free access to tools and resources to space-tech start-up founders at every stage of their journey right from the ideation phase to becoming a unicorn.   Anant Maheshwari, President of Microsoft India, said that they are “deeply committed” to empowering space tech startups in the country “to drive cutting-edge innovation and accelerate scientific discovery.” He also said, “Space tech startups in India are playing a significant role in advancing the country’s space capabilities with the power of technology. We are pleased to collaborate with ISRO to accelerate this transformation of what’s possible in space.”   Beyond access to technology, Microsoft will provide mentoring support to the entrepreneurs operating in this space in areas ranging from space engineering to cloud technologies, product, and design, fundraising, and sales and marketing. Microsoft and ISRO will also jointly organise knowledge-sharing and thought leadership sessions for the start-ups with space industry experts.

This announcement comes against the backdrop of Satya Nadella’s (who is also the CEO of Microsoft) four-day visit to India. "It’s fantastic to be back in India this week, meeting with so many innovators and changemakers, like these employees at State Bank of India who are using technology to make a difference at their organization – and across the country," he said in a post on LinkedIn yesterday.   Apart from meeting key customers, startups, developers, educators, and students, Nadella also addressed Microsoft Future Ready Leadership Summit in Mumbai on Tuesday.  

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