Crayon Software Experts India, a leading global digital transformation services provider, has unveiled its inaugural Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Incubation Center in Bengaluru, marking a significant stride in fostering innovation in the Indian startup ecosystem. The initiative is a collaborative effort with Amazon Web Services India Private Limited (AWS India) and aims to bolster India-based ISVs and startups in the development of cloud-based digital solutions tailored for key public sector application areas such as agriculture, healthcare, utilities, smart infrastructure, and edtech.
ISVs and startups often encounter multifaceted challenges in their pursuit of creating viable solutions for public sector needs. These challenges encompass staying abreast of rapidly evolving technology, discerning the most fitting technologies to leverage, minimizing time-to-market, and delivering solutions to public sector clients with heightened governance and data security. Crayon and AWS India’s joint endeavor seeks to address these challenges by establishing the incubation center, serving as a hub to equip ISVs and startups—both nascent and mature—with the requisite technical and business acumen. The objective is to facilitate the transformation of their innovative concepts into market-ready solutions, allowing them to scale effectively and meet the evolving demands of public sector organizations for improved citizen services.
Vikas Bhonsle, CEO of Crayon Software Experts India, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with AWS, stating, “India has the world’s third largest startup hub, and local ISVs and startups have groundbreaking ideas that solve meaningful public sector challenges and drive positive citizen outcomes. By launching our first ISV Incubation Center in India, we are using Crayon’s decades of experience of engaging ISVs to help these companies turn their ideas into reality.”
The incubation center will provide comprehensive support to ISVs and startups, leveraging the expertise of AWS, Crayon, and their partners. This support encompasses training on crafting a cloud business strategy—from understanding customer demographics to infrastructure migration. Additionally, participants will receive guidance on software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution development, harnessing advanced cloud capabilities such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence, and devising effective go-to-market strategies. Networking opportunities facilitated by Crayon at the center, including roundtable events and executive briefings, will enable participants to establish valuable connections within the public sector. The incubation period is set at an average of six to nine months, with ISVs and startups graduating annually.
Sunil PP, Lead – Education, Space, Non-profits, Channels and Alliances at Amazon Web Services India, highlighted the potential for digital technology innovation in India, saying, “The scale and the diversity of demographics in India present a unique opportunity for digital technology innovation, and it’s important to nurture local businesses to develop solutions directly addressing these problem statements.” He emphasized AWS’s commitment to empowering local small businesses to drive economic and social impact, underscoring the collaboration with Crayon as a means to facilitate innovation using the power of the cloud.
AWS and Crayon’s support for the Incubation Center includes fast-tracking the development of ISVs to become members of the AWS Partner Network (APN). The APN, a global community boasting more than 100,000 partners across 150 countries, offers partners technical expertise, funding, go-to-market resources, and increased visibility to customers. The onboarding process involves technical validation through the AWS Well-Architected Review Framework, enabling partners to evaluate architectures and implement scalable designs. The collaborative efforts will guide ISVs through procurement paths with customers and help them progress toward establishing go-to-market readiness, including developing business plans, creating innovative solutions to address market needs, customer account planning, successful customer engagements, and business growth.
A recent report commissioned by AWS and conducted by Accenture revealed that small businesses embracing cloud-enabled technologies in India’s education, healthcare, and agriculture sectors could potentially unlock up to ₹1.6 trillion in annual productivity gains by 2030, representing a 152 percent increase over current levels.
Gagandeep Randhawa, CEO at EaseMyAI, an ISV specializing in innovative AI products, expressed optimism about the collaboration, stating, “AWS provides a wide range of cloud services that can accelerate our innovation in AI and ML, and we have the potential to leverage their global expertise and enhance our market readiness. We also look forward to connecting with Crayon and AWS’s wide customer and partner network to strengthen and expand our presence. We look forward to utilizing Crayon’s ISV Incubation Center to accelerate our software development lifecycle.”
In conclusion, the Crayon Software Experts India and AWS collaboration signifies a pivotal initiative to empower and nurture the burgeoning startup ecosystem in India. By providing crucial support, technical expertise, and networking opportunities, the ISV Incubation Center is poised to catalyze the development of innovative cloud-based solutions, ultimately contributing to the advancement of public sector services and fostering economic and social impact.
