Just at the time when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella held a meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, the national space agency of India, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquartered in Bengaluru announced its collaboration with Microsoft to encourage the growth of space technology startups in the country.
ISRO operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India. It executes the Indian space program primarily through various centers within ISRO.
Microsoft and ISRO have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that seeks to empower space tech startups across the country by providing all the necessary support and helping them become enterprise-ready.
Through this partnership, the space-tech startups identified by ISRO will be enrolled in the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub. It’s a platform that helps startups accelerate development and grow their business with access to expert guidance.
As such, space-tech startup founders in India that will be a part of this partnership program will have free access to important tech tools, and resources they need to build and run their businesses.
Apart from providing free access to technology, Microsoft will also provide mentoring support to budding space-tech entrepreneurs in areas ranging from space engineering to cloud technologies, productand design, fundraising, and sales and marketing.
Lastly, through joint collaboration, Microsoft and ISRO will hold knowledge-sharing and thought leadership sessions for the startups with space industry experts.