Reinforcing its commitment to accelerate the start-up ecosystem in India, Microsoft launched the 100X100X100 program for B2B SaaS start-ups in India, today.

This initiative will bring together 100 committed companies and 100 early and growth start-ups that have enterprise-ready solutions to offer. Each participating company will commit to spend $100,000 over a course of 18 months on solutions provided by the SaaS start-up, and more than 50 start-ups are part of the program at launch.

“India has one of the largest B2B SaaS start-up ecosystems in the world, and it is growing exponentially. This initiative will help build scale and create amazing opportunities for start-ups. Businesses can now fast-track their digital journeys through easy adoption of enterprise-grade solutions. We’re excited to see the outcomes of these partnerships,” Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India, said in a statement.

Launched under the aegis of Microsoft for Start-ups, the 100X100X100 program will help enterprises fast-track their digital transformation through faster adoption of SaaS solutions. It will make available a variety of curated, ready-to-launch, enterprise-grade solutions from start-ups with a proven track record. At the same time, it will aim to create a profitable domestic market for the fast-growing Indian B2B SaaS start-up segment by increasing their revenue and customer base.

The initiative is open to Microsoft co-sell-enabled start-ups associated with Microsoft India with Start-ups initiative. As part of the program, these start-ups will also have access to regular speed-contracting sessions with prospective customers at Microsoft industry and customer events. The program will be conducted with the support of ecosystem partners and industry associations including the Delhi and Mumbai Chapters of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).

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Microsoft has evolved its approach from ‘partnering to partnership’, both technical and commercial, guiding start-ups through every stage of growth. This includes providing them with Microsoft’s technology platform, allowing them to innovate and build on their own terms, Azure credits (cloud offering), providing comprehensive training programs and technical support aimed at ensuring competitiveness. It provides mentorship, deep technical expertise and immersive industry experience focused on business outcomes, delivered at Microsoft and industry start-up events. It helps start-ups connect with the right players who can accelerate their development, including accelerators, incubators and VCs, and support for streamlining go-to-market (GTM) activities across the globe.

The Microsoft ScaleUp program under the Microsoft for Start-ups initiative, is designed for Series A-C start-ups. Through its technology expertise, a growing partner ecosystem and venture fund M12, the company says it is uniquely positioned to help start-ups evolve from being market-ready to enterprise-ready.

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