Onboards global leaders Tezos, R3 and SettleMint as Platform Partners and CV Labs as a Hub Partner
Hyderabad, Telangana, June 11, 2020: T-Block Accelerator, the inaugural accelerator program under the aegis of the Telangana Blockchain District today announced the 30 shortlisted startup cohort that will proceed to an intensive Start-up Training Program. The accelerator also announced the onboarding of global blockchain players Tezos India, R3 and Settlemint as platform partners and CV Labs , a Swiss-based incubator as the Hub Partner. With the support and expertise of these industry leaders in the blockchain realm, T-block will provide selected Indian startups from the first cohort with technical support to build their solutions on their platform, GTM (Go-To-Market) support, technology implementation support and grants on a case-on-case basis.
The T-Block Accelerator organized by the Telangana Government and Tech Mahindra and run by IBC Media, an innovation management company saw registrations from over 160 blockchain-based startups from across India. Of these 160 registered startups, 30 selected startups in the first cohort will undergo a three-week-long training period including one-on-one sessions with a panel of mentors, workshops, presentations, discussions, and assignments designed to impart the practical knowledge required to build relevant blockchain products with real-world applications. After further filtration, the selected start-ups will have an opportunity to pitch innovative ideas and get mentored by experts from the government of Telangana, Tech Mahindra, C-DAC and IIIT Hyderabad.
Jayesh Ranjan ( Principal Secretary, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana) said “As one of the first states in India to focus on leveraging emerging technologies for increased efficiency of the overall functioning of the government, the Telangana government has always looked to nurture new startups and businesses in emerging technology in India. The 30 selected startups that proceed to the acceleration phase of the T-Block Accelerator have shown immense potential to solve real-life problems faced across verticals. Our new partnerships with global platform protocols strengthen our commitment to support these startups through their entrepreneurial journey and we look forward to their growth through the course of this accelerator program.”
Rama Devi Lanka (Director, Emerging Technologies & Officer on Special Duty, ITE&C Department, Government of Telangana) added, “We have seen some very interesting startups register for the T-Block Accelerator and are looking forward to engaging and interacting closely with the selected 30 startups. Armed with all the support from the Telangana Blockchain District and the mentorship from our multiple global partners, we look forward to multiple disruptive solutions from these selected startups that will lead the nation to a path of progress and innovation.”
Nicolai Reinbold, Ecosystem and Incubation Manager at CV Labs added, “After being a part of the journey of building Zug in Switzerland as the Global Crypto Valley, we at CV Labs, are excited to be a part of this initiative aimed to further the vision of the Telangana government of becoming blockchain capital of India. Powering startups around blockchain products is a natural progression for our efforts in India and T-block is the perfect platform to do so. We see huge potential in the selected startups and their solutions are a validation of the technological prowess of India. We are very happy to join forces with the first government led accelerator program to build the blockchain ecosystem in India.”
Vivekdeep Gupta, Country Head, India at R3 said: “R3 is pleased to be part of Telangana’s T-Block Accelerator program. The world is entering into a new normal and digital transformation has quickly become a priority for businesses. Blockchain has the potential to transform a wide range of industries across India—such as trade finance, supply chain and healthcare—enabling organisations to benefit from quicker transactions, increased cost efficiency in operations and greater trust amongst stakeholders. It is inspiring to see the innovation, creativity and passion that the 30 selected startups have shown. The future of India’s blockchain industry looks bright; we are confident that they have the potential to augment India’s blockchain ecosystem and solidify India’s place in the world as the leader of innovation and emerging technologies.”
Om Malviya , President, Tezos India Foundation, is excited to be a part of the T-block accelerator to empower the startups with Tezos’ Blockchain support. “T-block accelerator program is an incredible platform to identify new startups with the potential to elevate the blockchain ecosystem in India and I am happy to see Tezos India foundation becoming a major partner for the same. It will be exciting to see how startups take full advantage of the features that Tezos provides, and how it will benefit their business.” said Om Malviya “We, at Tezos India Foundation, will be there at every step to provide any help, support or resources necessary.”
Shahzad Fatmi, CEO SettleMint India, mentioned that they are very proud to partner with T-Block. He added, “SettleMint will bring it’s global experience and best practices to help the start-ups create robust applications and business plans for their company. We believe start-ups should focus on solving business challenges and taking their solutions faster to market. T-Block’s selected start-ups will have full support from SettleMint to achieve this goal.”
Following an earlier announcement, the Telangana Blockchain district has brought some of the major blockchain leaders as partners for this accelerator including Matic Networks, Harmony protocol, æternity, R3 Corda, Tezos India and Settlemint as Platform partners along with CV Labs as the Hub Partner. Launched in February 2020, the T-Block Accelerator has completed its dealflow and selected start-ups will undergo a three-week boot camp, followed by the acceleration phase.
For more details, visit – http://blockchaindistrict.telangana.gov.in/tblock/
About IBC Media:
IBC Media is an innovation management company, founded in 2018. The company runs technology-driven open innovation programs for technology firms, corporates, governments and investment firms. Their offerings involve connecting large scale entities to connect with agile and innovative small scale tech startups and innovators via developer/startup-based programmes. They also host technology-led events that create common spaces for all industry stakeholders and startups in the emerging tech space to have meaningful dialogue and advisory for fundraising and growth.
For more details, visit – https://ibc.media/
Media Contact:
Susan Joseph
Head of PR
IBC Media
susan@ibc.media | 9900029191
