Deshpande Foundation and Microsoft Ventures in India have announced a partnership to launch Sandbox Startups, an incubator focused on nurturing startups in tier two and three cities of India. The three-year collaboration was formalized with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) here on Saturday, August 23, in the presence of Dr Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande, Founder, Deshpande Foundation, Jairam Ramesh, Former Minister, Government of India, Rajinish Menon, Director, Microsoft Ventures in India, Naveen Jha, CEO, Deshpande Foundation, Phanindra Sama, CEO, Redbus.in and other industry leaders.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion of the launch, Naveen Jha, CEO, Deshpande Foundation, said, “Unlike tier one cities, most small cities lack adequate support system to nurture startups. Consequently, startups and startup potentials in these regions do not have access to requisite training, mentoring and a sandbag to try out their entrepreneurial stints. Sandbox Startups is aimed at providing a launch pad for aspiring entrepreneurs in tier two and three cities so that they can validate their business ideas, sharpen business acumen, develop products and launch solutions to the market. Innovations by startups groomed under the program will add vibrancy to the ecosystem from those at the bottom of the pyramid.”
Rajinish Menon, Director, Microsoft Ventures in India, said, “At Microsoft, we are extremely excited to help incubators roll out products and raise capital to fund their growth, eventually benefiting India’s budding entrepreneurial ecosystem. And this specific endeavor is aimed at entrepreneurs from smaller towns which have a less mature ecosystem to nurture them. Startups can call Microsoft's Jumpstart hotline on 1800 2002114 to know more about the program and how to be a part of it.”
Deshpande Foundation in India actively nurtures innovation and entrepreneurship through various programs in its three sandbox regions - North Karnataka, Nizamabad in Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Partnering with Microsoft Ventures is a key step to support and nurture incubators, moving them to the next level by providing them an opportunity to get exposed to high end technology, get trained and mentored by professionals. Both Microsoft Ventures and Deshpande Foundation will play a significant role to mentor the startups under this incubator.
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