SAP Labs India, the biggest R&D center outside Germany of tech giant SAP, continues to deepen its alliance with the academia as reflected in its latest collaborative partnership with the private engineering college Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT). Under the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two institutions have committed to making headway for various projects hinged on research and technological innovation.

“Industry-academia partnerships are essential for advancing research and development, fostering innovation, and providing economic benefits. SAP Labs India’s partnership with MSRIT is yet another step to foster our commitment to deepen industry-academia collaboration and explore synergies around emerging and new technologies,” commented Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP & MD, SAP Labs India and Head, SAP User Enablement. “We are also excited about introducing MSRIT students to entrepreneurship with the Young Upstarts program which aims at empowering young minds with the necessary technical and leadership skills to help shape their innovative ideas into successful ventures.”

In 2022, SAP Labs India has spearheaded several initiatives designed to support the future-skilling of the nation’s citizens. One of which is the innovation partnership with the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) that launched a brand new 16 -month-long management course to upskill managers’ knowledge of Artificial Intelligence encompassing Machine Learning, Statistical Learning, and Deep Learning.

SAP Labs India and MSRIT for Youth Upskilling

Today, SAP Labs India forges to be an exemplar of innovation that supports workforce readiness of both students and professionals together with MSRIT.  

One of the first programs of the alliance commenced this year in February with the launch of the SAP program Young Upstarts, an initiative by SAP Startup Studio & REACH (Research Engagement and Collaboration Hub) to empower students to jump-start their entrepreneurial journey. True to the design of SAP Startup Studio, the startup accelerator of SAP Labs India, Young Upstarts offers students in-person sessions from SAP focused on honing entrepreneurial mindset, and business skills including drafting pitches and other key business values critical to launching a startup that would thrive in the ever-changing business environment. Learning sessions are held on the MSRIT campus.

Here are the other initiatives included in the SAP Labs India and MSRIT MoU:

Young Upstarts

The program participants will have the opportunity to broaden their technical skills through mentoring sessions with experienced professionals. The student-partner initiative will also allow two student partners or campus ambassadors to join SAP Labs India and MSRIT’s developmental programs.

All-India Hackathon 

The hackathon participants, assisted by their mentors, are expected to create tech-based solutions that will solve problem statements provided by SAP’s business team. The event will be held on the MSRIT campus to be participated by university students from across India.

Academia Alumni Network (AAN)

MSRIT will be one of the pioneer institutions of AAN, a special interest group to be launched as part of REACH.

Joint-Branding

SAP Labs India and MSRIT will also collaborate for collaborative branding operations in designated locations on the MSRIT campus.

Sharing about the latest business-university partnership, N. V. R. Naidu, Principal, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, said:

“The joint efforts of MSRIT and SAP Labs India will help students unleash their latent potential and enable them to learn, explore and grow under the guidance of industry experts. We are looking forward to a fruitful association and are excited for our students to be able to contribute to technological advancements for SAP’s customers globally.”

The post MSRIT, SAP Labs India Foster Industry-Academia Alliance appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

The early-stage and growth-stage startups that were part of the fourth cohort of the SAP Startup Studio leveraged the latest technologies like data analytics, blockchain, machine learning (ML), cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, drone technology, as well as augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) to continue providing cutting-edge business solutions for a wide range of sectors, including manufacturing, e-commerce, financial technology, retail, among others. The program is designed to equip these startups from the 2020-2021 batch with opportunities to develop and build their businesses in an atmosphere that is both supportive and innovative.

Through the SAP Startup Studio initiative, SAP Labs India joined forces with Capgemini India this year to establish an immersive experience for starting enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) companies to further support them in their endeavors. The Cohort 2022 program was developed specifically to meet the needs of emerging startup businesses by providing them with a stage on which to present their business models and access to India’s vast pool of available talent. This collaboration aims to pave the way in generating value for all parties including customers, SAP, and Capgemini as well as startups, which is necessary for an effective partner ecosystem.

According to Sindhu Gangadharan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at SAP Labs India and Head at SAP User Enablement, the Indian startup community is still shaking up the global product market and is well positioned to become the largest startup ecosystem in the world. She went on to say that nowadays, India’s innovation economy is fueled by local SaaS and deep-tech startups. Gangadharan explained that these startups are the ones that are driving India’s TechAde and taking the digital revolution to the local and state levels.

“Over the last 5 years, SAP Startup Studio has been an enabler and accelerator for many of these Indian start-ups. The partnership with Capgemini will help us identify our latest cohort of visionary entrepreneurs and help take their disruptive products global with deep-tech expertise and innovative go-to market solutions,” the SAP Labs India MD further shared.

The latest partnership news comes after SAP Labs India opened a center for digital government on its campus in Bengaluru. The purpose of this center is to concentrate on driving key global technology, capacity building, program management, and the implementation of Digital India’s projects that are being carried out by the various ministries and departments. By providing tailor-made digital upskilling programs for public and government personnel, the center hopes to encourage the use of technology-based solutions in the country’s public service segment as a means of advancing its overall mission.

Fostering Startup Innovation with SAP Labs and Capgemini India

Capgemini is a market leader on a worldwide scale when it comes to collaborating with businesses to help them manage and change their operations with the help of technology. More than  185,000 employees are hired by Capgemini in India across 13 sites, including Bangalore, Hyderabad, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Pune, Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata, Gurugram, Gandhinagar, Coimbatore, Chennai, and Bhubaneswar.

Ashwin Yardi, Chief Executive Officer at Capgemini India, said that their cooperation with SAP Labs India is a component of Capgemini’s bigger ecosystem design approach in the country. Yardi explained that the purpose of the program is to foster the growth of an active start-up community in order to maximize the value that can be provided to customers through the use of innovative technologies.

“At Capgemini we are passionate about innovation and together with our clients and partners we leverage the latest technology to drive forward looking solutions that yield greater business impact. Our innovation ecosystem brings together technology, a network of B2B start-ups, and proven methodologies and services for driving tangible value,” Yardi added.

Roughly 25 carefully selected startup companies took part in the kick-off event for the Cohort 2022 program, which began on September 29 in Bengaluru.  The program will assist fledgling businesses in overcoming hurdles in the marketplace and capitalizing on emerging opportunities for expansion. It will make it easier for them to introduce their concepts to a larger variety of markets and cater to a broader audience.

In addition, the development of industry-specific solutions that take advantage of leading technologies such as AI, ML, intelligent robotic process automation (IRPA), Industrial IoT and analytics, and immersive experiences will be the primary focus of the initiative. The startups that participate in the Cohort 2022 program will have a more sophisticated knowledge of business concerns as a result of their exposure to real-world problems that may be addressed by their innovations.

Moreover, they will get access to the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), allowing them to develop world-class solutions that are both sustainable and creative while also enabling deeper integration into the SAP portfolio.

The post SAP, Capgemini India Launch Startup Cohort 2022 Program appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Established in 1996, SAP ICC has grown steadily to become a global organisation that plays a crucial role in the success of the SAP Partner ecosystem. Recently celebrating 25 years in operations, the center has already performed over 14,000 certifications, with more than 4,000 partners and ISVs relying on its SAP integration services. SAP Chief Partner Officer Karl Fahrbach praised SAP ICC and Partner Innovation Lifecycle Services (PILS) for reaching the latest significant milestone. Commending the team’s commitment to ensuring that SAP Partner success is customer success, he shared:

“For 25 years, the SAP Integration and Certification Center has laid the foundation for a trusted relationship between SAP, partners, and customers by certifying a high-quality ecosystem of partner solutions that integrate with the latest SAP technology.”

During last year’s SAP Global Partner Summit Online, several new enhancements and programs have been announced such as the launch of the premium SAP certification conducted by SAP ICC to allow SAP Partner applications to become an SAP Endorsed App. SAP ICC evaluates the application code and provides customised recommendations for improving and optimising the partner solution. Furthermore, solutions that obtain the SAP Endorsed App certification get a competitive advantage that demonstrates value-added functionalities, a smooth integration, and a secure investment for SAP clients.

Enabling Innovation in the Partner Ecosystem Through SAP ICC’s SAP Integration Services 

Following its continuous global expansion, SAP ICC has successfully created new offices across the world to help partners in their respective regions including Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. This reflects SAP’s long-standing commitment to assisting customers in reducing implementation effort, enabling innovation, and increasing agility by integrating partner solutions into SAP.

Moreover, the German tech giant supported several businesses in ANZ in their efforts to stay innovative and competitive in their respective industries. In November 2014, SAP Australia launched the SAP HANA Cloud Platform in the region, and SAP ICC was quick to follow SAP’s lead by delivering cloud platform-related services to the region’s software partners. SAP ICC also takes part in various SAP events such as those held by the SAP Australian User Group (SAUG) to connect and guide SAP partners in developing their own intellectual property (IP) and playing a significant role in software innovation.

Additionally, SAP ICC India is a technical and infrastructure support center that offers programs such as the “Co-Innovated with SAP” initiative and SAP S/4HANA certification. It is a part of PILS, which has resulted in thousands of SAP Software Certifications and continues to do so year after year. SAP ICC also worked closely with SAP Startup Studio, an accelerator based out of SAP Labs India, to support co-innovation engagement for start-ups and assist them in obtaining SAP Integration Certificates.

Meanwhile, the recent movement of SAP Intelligent Enterprise, with SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) as the foundation, is deemed critical in accelerating partner innovation in Japan. The role of SAP ICC also becomes increasingly important in South Korea as certification partners in the region seek to be further certified with cloud-based solutions, given the current cloud environment in the industry.

“As a standard-bearer for partner innovation, SAP ICC is at the forefront of partner success, supporting SAP’s strategy toward partner profitability and providing agility to customers as they become best-run businesses,” Fahrbach maintained. 

The post SAP ICC Completes 25 Years of Delivering SAP Integration Services appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

In a recent interview with YourStory, Sindhu Gangadharan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at SAP Labs India, talked about the company’s initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic and its outlook in 2021. Initially joining SAP Labs India as a software developer in the late 90s, Gangadharan is now responsible for product development and innovation at the tech giant’s R&D facilities in the country.

Expounding on the company’s operations during the pandemic, Gangadharan stressed that their primary focus is the safety of their employees and at the same time, ensuring business continuity is not impacted in any way. She stated:

“About 77 percent of the world’s transactions touch SAP system, which means the business continuity aspect is something important, and therefore we are completely committed to making sure that the business systems of our customers are always operational.”

As one of the first companies to introduce work-from-home options and rotating schedules for onsite business-critical operations in India, Gangadharan explained that the set-up was not new to the team. Furthermore, with the majority of its staff mandated to work remotely, she said that SAP has equipped them with the necessary tools and has ramped up efforts to keep a positive atmosphere.

“We understand it’s difficult to keep everyone’s spirits high and feel unity when people are working remotely. Hence, we introduced the SAP Come Alive initiative, which offers online fun, wellness, and motivational programs — ranging from Zumba, yoga to virtual music contests,” Gangadharan said.

Leveraging Technology to Combat COVID-19

In the discussion, it has also been said that the Crisis Management Team (CMT) is working around the clock to offer emergency services and arrange essential supplies such as oxygen, ventilators, ICU beds for employees and their families in the wake of the second wave of coronavirus infections in the country. This is on top of pledging to cover the full COVID-19 vaccination cost for their eligible staff and their insured dependents.

Last October 2020, SAP’s COVID-19 relief work in India, particularly in the State of Karnataka, was recognised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). Gangadharan added:

“Our SAP Labs India colleagues are volunteering for the Karnataka State Government’s COVID War Room while also contributing to create applications to help run the war rooms better.”

Leveraging its technological expertise and innovation to provide solutions to help combat the pandemic, Gangadharan also mentioned other initiatives that have been put in place by SAP Labs in India.

“Our teams are also supporting the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) and its 4,500 members by leveraging SAP Jam to build a marketplace for the exchange of COVID resources among member companies. SAP is augmenting the health care system by supporting the construction of make-shift hospitals and by creating additional bed capacity at existing hospitals across locations,” she explained.

2021 Outlook for SAP Labs in India

In a similar interview with Financial Express, Gangadharan also talked about her outlook for SAP Labs India in 2021. She said that despite last year’s turmoil, SAP has successfully navigated the challenging environment and has demonstrated agility with its “solid finish” to 2020.

“Specific to 2021, when I took over as MD of SAP Labs India in the second half of 2019, I had set a four-point goal. To make Labs India location the most innovative place in the SAP Universe, focused on customer centricity, where thought leadership flourishes and employees work in a highly diverse and inclusive environment. Since then, we have made significant progress towards our goal,” she stated.

Moreover, SAP Labs India is well-represented in the local start-up landscape through the SAP Startup Studio, as well as through the SAP Co-Innovation Lab. The SAP Innovation Center Network, which is located in Bangalore, specialises in Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, Edge Computing, and artificial intelligence (AI).

“We contribute to SAP’s success through emerging transformative technologies from our Innovation Centre Network and SAP Startup Studio. Set up in 2016, this first in-house startup accelerator programme of SAP offers support to the onboarded startups through guidance, deep dive, and technology mentoring on SAP technologies,” according to Gangadharan.

The post Sindhu Gangadharan Shares 2021 Outlook for SAP Labs in India appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Naukri JobSpeak’s August 2020 report, IT-Software (14{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) industry, along with other industries such as Recruitment/Employment (19{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), Auto (17{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and BPO/ITES (16{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), has shown an upward hiring trend. From a city perspective, there was a sequential growth in hiring across all metro cities led by Kolkata (27{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and Bengaluru (22{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). The 2020 recruitment game plan of SAP India, which is headquartered in Bengaluru, is very much in sync with the said data, especially, since the company has never halted hiring amid COVID-19.

Despite many IT firms putting on hold their recrutiment plans in this economic environment, SAP India remains committed to completing its mission of hiring 1,600 by end of 2020 in addition to its existing 101,150 employees. SAP Labs India, the largest Research and Development center outside SAP’s headquarter in Germany, will be taking onboard the majority of the hirees to add to its existing 13,000 employees.

Sindhu Gangadharan, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at SAP Labs India, shared the status of their recruitment plan and how the company is taking advantage of technology in the recruitment process through SAP SuccessFactors. She said: 

“Of the total hiring target, we have already onboarded about 1,100 of them and the remaining 500 open positions will be filled by end of this year.” 

“During the pandemic, we did not want any of our normal recruitment process to stop, so we switched to e-hiring mode,” Gangadharan said. “We leveraged technology to our advantage and used our SAP SuccessFactors recruitment platform to support our hiring process.”

As part of SAP’s $1 billion investment commitment in R&D and expansion plans in India, SAP Labs India will have its second campus in Devanahalli in Bengaluru within 4-5 years. SAP has also recently announced the chosen 16 startups– 14 based in India and two headquartered in the US– for the fourth cohort (2020-2021) of the SAP Startup Studio programme. The programme represents SAP’s advocacy on R&D and innovation by offering expert guidance, opportunities to co-innovate, and access to its partner ecosystem.

India’s Promising Hiring Trend

Despite the country’s year-on-year level of hiring being down by 35{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in August ’20, the month-on-month hiring uptrend is a reflection of India’s effort to revive the economic activity. The Naukri JobSpeak Index shifted from 1413 from August to 1263 in July– a remarkable jump in these uncertain times.

In terms of hiring across experience levels, a 10{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} growth in August ‘20 was seen versus July ’20, which was led by a 14{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} increase in hiring for entry-level executives (0-3 yrs. experience) and 13{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} growth in mid-management roles. There was also an 11{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} growth in leadership hiring (>16 yrs. experience).

Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com said:

“It is encouraging to see the month on month progressive growth in hiring from the past three months as a result of the nation-wide unlocking. While the Pharma/Medical, IT, and BPO/ITES sectors continue to spearhead hiring, it is encouraging to see other key sectors like Telecom, Retail, and Real Estate signaling strong recovery in August’20.

We are hopeful that the recoveries will become more robust in the coming months.”

The post SAP Labs India Recruitment Strategy Pushes Through appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

The applications received reached a total of 200+ applications: over 175 from SAP Lab India’s outreach partners that included TiE Bangalore, Headstart Network Foundation, the German Indian Startup Exchange Program (GINSEP), the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) 10K Startups, and Kerala Startup Mission; and 100+ applications from the Tracxn startup discovery platform.

Out of all the applicants, 16 of the best startups in India—55{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of which are in their growth stage with the remaining 45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in their early stage—have been selected to join the new 2020-2021 batch. Two other growth-stage startups were picked to engage with the SAP Partner Edge Build program.

The Best Startups in India Working on Cutting Edge Technology

SAP Startup Studio’s fourth cohort of early and growth-stage startups use technologies such as predictive analytics, blockchain, machine learning, cloud technology, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, Big Data, drone tech, and augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) to provide cutting-edge business solutions across industries—manufacturing, e-commerce, fintech, retail, and more. Among the best startups in India, the following technology companies have selected by SAP’s leadership, sales and product engineering team:

1. Credable – A fintech company founded in 2018 by Nirav Choksi and Ram Kewalramani that is using innovative technology to become India’s supply chain investment bank
2. IQLect – Led by Sachin Sinha, the company’s mission is to democratize real-time data analysis by providing high performing and easy to use tools as SaaS or converged unified box as private/hybrid cloud
3. e-Shipz – A provider of cloud-based enterprise shipping solutions 
4. Worxogo – an AI company founded in 2015 that provides a sales productivity tool that help businesses build high-performance sales teams
5. BlinkIn – A platform that helps to boost customer support by using an intelligent visual support system for troubleshooting problems
6. Airprobe – A drone-based solutions provider for solar PV inspections that won the first prize in the industrial digitization session at the GINSEP Live Pitches 2020 event
7. Intellibot – A HyperAutomation Platform that offers prebuilt integrations between enterprise applications to help enterprises drive a successful digital transformation initiative
8. Unifize – A cloud-based workforce collaboration platform for manufacturing industries that helps reduce wasted time, build accountability
9. IoTReady – An enterprise IoT company led by Dr. Tej Pochiraju, Dr. Jay Warrior and Jai Sharda, with an embedded technology focus in helping boost businesses
10. Neewee – Predictive analytics solutions provider founded in 2014 with locations in India, The Netherlands, Germany, and France
11. Talview – An AI-powered candidate experience platform launched in 2017 that aims to provide the fastest way to remotely screen, interview, and test top talent and students.
12. Koinearth – Real-world solutions and Blockchain framework for optimal asset sharing between governments, citizens & industries
13. Doppelio – Automating IoT testing app operating in the computer software industry that focuses on reducing risk 
14. Adloid – An AR/VR company with a particular focus on the retail industry, including the furniture, automobile, and real estate sectors.
15. Neurotags – An anti-counterfeiting solution by using a robust AI/ML technology
16. WeSense.ai – A computer vision solution for monitoring customer traction, SoP compliance monitoring, and other scenarios

The two growth-stage startups who will join the SAP Partner Edge Build program are:

1. The Mathcompany – A modern, hybrid consulting firm that builds contextual AI assets for Fortune 500 & equivalent companies and provides a well-rounded consulting model that addresses existing gaps in conventional analytics service provider models and off-the-shelf products
2. UNFYD – A design and product studio that offer integrated digital transformation and omnichannel customer relationship management software

The post The Best Startups in India Selected to Join SAP Startup Studio 2020-2021 appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.