PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the big four accounting firms, has started an innovation programme in Hyderabad to engage with startups , co-work on products, services and solutions, and provide access to its corporate clients.If successful, the firm plans to replicate this in other cities across India, starting with Bengaluru or Mumbai.“This is a genuine need of our clients. Two large international banks have already given us their problem statements and have asked us to scout for startups who could solve the problem for them,“ Murali Talasila, who will be heading this innovation programme, told ET.Housed in the Telangana-backed incubator T-Hub , the firm wanted to stay close to and amid startups for the purpose of the innovation programme. PwC has accelerators and incubators across the world, but this is the first in India,“ said Talasila. Sector-agnostic, PwC is exploring startups to find a good fit for its corporate clientele and is also looking for possible synergies with the startups for some in-house innovation.“The biggest hurdle for startups is to cross the corporate barrier. We want to bridge the gap,“ said Talasila.PwC though will lean towards sectors such as financial technology, social technology and cyber security. The firm also plans to fund some of the startups later.