Microsoft, Accenture supporting ANZ social startups

Microsoft and Accenture have teamed up to launch Project Amplify, a joint initiative aimed at supporting Australian and New Zealand start-ups focused on sustainability and social impact.

Project Amplify will help an initial cohort of nine ANZ startups by providing them access to digital technology, mentoring and collaboration opportunities with Microsoft and Accenture experts over a one-year program.

The project will provide support to help the social enterprise startups develop proof of concepts, scale emerging solutions and refine their business models.

Among the initial incubatees are givvable, which helps businesses find, source and verify a supplier’s sustainable, social and circular credentials, as well as sustainability digital twin solution developer 4ZeroTechnologies.

Meanwhile, Build-Apps is helping commercial real estate use data to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Sustinent is a biotech that seeks to tackle green waste on an industrial scale.

“Driving sustainability across all sectors of the economy is one of the great challenges of our time. It is a great privilege to work with Accenture and these young businesses as they strive to deliver innovation with impact,” Microsoft ANZ Director of Sustainability Brett Shoemaker said.

“Project Amplify has been designed to streamline access to leading digital technologies and skills, as well as expertise and global networks that will support these Australian and New Zealand businesses as they bring their ideas to life, focused on improved sustainability and social impact.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Jakub Jirsák