"After all the hype there has been about blockchain in recent years, now is the time to demystify all the doubts there could still be about this technology. We are very proud to have æternity on board as our second Microsoft Innovation Centre partners," said Mary Downing, manager of Microsoft Innovation Center.

æternity the next-generation, open-source blockchain for building decentralised applications, last week announced a partnership with Microsoft Innovation Centre to support the growth of blockchain technology in Malta. Through this partnership, æternity's investment arm, AE Ventures, and Microsoft will host regular blockchain events in Malta to promote the country's positioning as a friendly jurisdiction for blockchain businesses to launch and incorporate.

"Having æternity promote and nurture blockchain startups from the Microsoft Innovation Centre will not only bring a more flexible development of new technology but will also be an opportunity to promote blockchain as a tangible technology that brings real value," added Downing.

The first event hosted by Microsoft Innovation Centre and AE Ventures will be a weeklong intensive training programme for blockchain startups. æternity Starfleet, a global accelerator programme, reviewed more than 100 blockchain startups from around the world and invited 15 to participate in the programme, which began on 4 November.

This training programme will provide high-quality instruction, content, lectures and workshops led by industry experts and is specially designed to give early-stage blockchain startups the practical knowledge to succeed in business and product development.

The programme also provides a deep-dive into the æternity blockchain, including its features and programming language.

Following the Starfleet global acceleration programme, 10 startups will be selected for an additional five weeks of mentorship. This will culminate with a Demo Day at which selected teams will win an investment offer of up to $100,000 in AE tokens and an additional six months of mentorship and acceleration. These startups will gain access to a vast worldwide network of ambassadors, experts, developers, mentors, investors and events in the æternity community. 

"We are excited to be partnering with the Microsoft Innovation Centre and we see this as the next step in æternity's global policy," said Jarek Bialek of AE Ventures. "Malta is a great place for developing blockchain ideas and bringing them to life, this is why we believe that more Starfleet alumni will choose to incorporate their companies.