Microsoft boosts agri start-ups in India by rolling out a new programme

To boost agritech start-ups in India which have been instrumental in building industry-specific solutions, Microsoft is rolling out a programme that would drive transformation in agriculture. Microsoft said that these start-ups are changing the face of agriculture by developing innovative solutions for an enhanced productivity all the while giving better access to inputs for the agri-businesses.

The programme will offer the latest technology and resources to facilitate businesses in order to help them thrive and innovate. Additionally, start-ups can also access to Microsoft’s Azure Farmbeats which can help them incline their focus better only on the core value-added needs. It will also enable accumulation of agricultural data-sets across the agri start-ups and they can thus gain meaningful insights into those data through AI/ML based models which the online market store provides. “Using Azure FarmBeats, start-ups can acquire, aggregate and process agricultural data and rapidly develop their own AI/ML models,” said the statement by Microsoft said.

“Sustainable agricultural technology can transform the global food landscape. Agritech start-up innovations are addressing some of our key challenges connected to agriculture and food production. The Microsoft for Agritech Start-ups programme is among the early steps in our journey towards empowering these start-ups in India and transforming global agricultural practices,” said Sangeeta Bavi, Director, Start-up Ecosystem, Microsoft India.

The offerings under the new programme by the tech giant also include go-to market strategies, technical support and new sales opportunities for the start-ups with Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. They can also co-create new solutions along with Azure Farmbeats without having to invest in deep data engineering resources.

While the company intends to provide better accessibility to tech solutions for the agri start-ups through the programme, its long term goal is to bring together start-ups, corporates, government firms, etc, and foster learning and innovation among them on a common platform.