Announcing an India-wide hackathon targeted at developers and startups to solve industry challenges
New Delhi, India, 6 September 2023 – To drive innovation across the ecommerce industry in India at scale, ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) and Google Cloud announced today they are collaborating on a new India-wide hackathon and extension of their existing ONDC initiative.
ONDC is the Indian government’s marquee initiative to increase the penetration of e-commerce in India — currently limited to ~10% of all commerce in the country — by bringing millions of last-mile stores into e-commerce on the open network.
The ‘Build for Bharat’ Hackathon
ONDC and Google Cloud will launch an India-wide hackathon aimed at catalyzing innovation and addressing critical challenges for the next billion digital users in the country. The hackathon intends to develop solutions that democratize access to digital commerce, regardless of digital literacy, geography, or economic status. The event also aims to foster an open ecosystem of developers, students, and startups to innovate within the ONDC framework.
Spanning three months and draw 100,000 participants, the ‘Build for Bharat’ hackathon will offer mentoring, assistance, and other resources to help participants take on common e-commerce challenges, such as building better supply chain visibility, creating more targeted consumer personalization, and improving inventory management. The hackathon’s broad spectrum of interactive activities includes webinars, doubt-solving sessions, expert-led classes, and virtual community channels such as Discord.
Google Cloud and ONDC Open Commerce Solution
Earlier this June, Google Cloud and ONDC announced the launch of the open sourced ONDC Open Commerce solution which enables buyers and sellers to onboard seamlessly onto the ONDC network. Since then, the program has seen strong traction, with more than 20 e-commerce companies adopting the Open Commerce solution.
The next step in this strategic collaboration involves ONDC and Google Cloud working together to significantly expand the ability for buyers and sellers of all sizes across the country – especially those in smaller cities – to transact on the network through the use of Google Cloud’s generative AI tools.
For example, sellers will be able to improve catalog quality and descriptions with the click of a button, making it easier for them to create high quality catalogs. In addition, buyers and sellers will also be able to transact via voice commands in regional languages, automatically translate catalogs, and complete the entire buying journey without having to type a single word — thanks to Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform.
“Google Cloud and ONDC are helping create a more level playing field for all digital commerce companies, whether the largest businesses in the world or the smallest vendors in local markets. Our collaboration creates an opportunity for organizations India-wide to reach larger audiences and grow their businesses, ultimately transforming digital commerce adoption in the country,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud.
T Koshy, MD and CEO at ONDC, said, “We are at the cusp of revolutionizing e-commerce. This hackathon will serve as an ideal launchpad, enabling us to discover numerous gifted individuals and organizations with inventive concepts. This, in turn, propels the drive for innovation for Bharat by solving countless pressing challenges faced by merchants and consumers both in metro cities and smaller towns. This hackathon is a step closer to our vision of forging an inclusive and accessible digital commerce arena for every Indian, transcending all backgrounds.”
