Noida-based HCL Technology (HCLTech), on Thursday, said it has joined the XR Startup Programme, an initiative between Meta and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Startup Hub to discover, nurture, and accelerate extended reality (XR) technology start-ups in India.

“Digital engineering is of strategic focus to HCLTech and our involvement in this programme reinforces our commitment to nurturing emerging technologies and innovation to drive all-around growth,” Vijay Guntur, President, Engineering and R&D Services, HCLTech, said.

Also read: Indian business executives keen to integrate the metaverse in organisational activities: PwC report

As a knowledge partner of this programme, HCLTech will help foster a vibrant ecosystem in which Indian start-ups can pioneer and develop innovative services, hardware, and software solutions with a focus on education, healthcare and agri-tech, creating significant economic, social and environmental impact, the company said.

HCLTech will provide one-on-one mentorship to start-ups, leading thought leadership sessions and providing valuable business and industry perspectives. As the programme progresses, the start-ups may leverage HCLTech’s global infrastructure, next-generation engineering technology and innovation labs to develop, test, and validate their use cases, it said.

Also read: HCLTech Q1 consolidated net profit up 7.6% at ₹3,534 crore

“MeitY Startup Hub’s focus on innovation and entrepreneurship has made India the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world. The next wave of innovation, transformation, and investments is in XR technologies and the metaverse and the ‘XR Accelerator’ programme will ensure that Indian start-ups are at the forefront of developing, launching, and scaling immersive technology solutions for the global markets,” Jeet Vijay, CEO, MeitY Startup Hub, said.

Active collaboration between the academia and industry leaders provides practical guidance and support to the start-ups to become leaders for this new era, he added.

The XR Startup Programme is contributing to India’s efforts in establishing a foundation for the metaverse while fostering the development of XR technologies within the country. This aligns with the country’s vision of transforming the next decade into a ‘Techade’, enabling opportunities for the youth of India.

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