Companies partner with Lumos Labs to launch the “Century Program”
Lumos Labs has partnered with Microsoft India and Tezos India to introduce the “Century Program,” an enterprise blockchain startup initiative designed to help India-based startups develop and deploy blockchain projects and solutions.
According to Lumos Labs, “Microsoft’s Century Program is a corporate-to-SME bridge that aims to identify blockchain solutions for industry-specific challenges. These solutions will be developed into enterprise-grade proofs of concept (PoCs), evaluated independently, and taken to market by each sponsor.”
The program will run industry-specific tracks over four-month cycles. The stated goal is to produce 100 solutions across seven tracks within an 18-month period starting in July 2020, the program website explains.
Eligible startups should be prepared to advance a ready project and focus on producing solutions for one of the following sectors: media and entertainment, oil and natural gas, manufacturing, trade finance, telecommunications, healthcare, and the public sector.
Under the partnership, Tezos India will assist participating teams in building their solutions on the Tezos blockchain, while Microsoft India will support startups with mentorship and access to Microsoft’s technology and resources to accelerate product development and market readiness.
The program emphasizes turning identified use cases into independently evaluated, enterprise-grade PoCs. Major sponsors will help these proof-of-concepts move toward commercialization and market adoption.
ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab India, a division of ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Pvt, joined the initiative as the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner for the Discrete Manufacturing track. ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab India will contribute development expertise and digitization knowledge to support participating startups.
The launch of the Century Program comes amid growing interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency innovation in India. The sector has shown increased activity since the Supreme Court of India overturned the Reserve Bank of India’s banking restrictions on cryptocurrency businesses, creating a more favorable environment for blockchain startups and related services.