Microsoft Ventures

Microsoft Ventures
Startup Accelerator
Founded 2012
Headquarters Redmond, WA, United States
Number of locations
 7 Accelerators: Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, London, Paris, Seattle and Tel-Aviv.
Key people
 Zach Weisfeld (General Manager), Hanan Lavi (Director of Microsoft Ventures accelerator Seattle)
Website www.microsoftventures.com

Microsoft Ventures is a global initiative run by Microsoft with the goal to empower entrepreneurs around the world. The initiative supports startups at every stage of their life cycle, providing them with the tools, resources, knowledge and expertise they need to scale their company.

The initiative includes Microsoft Ventures Accelerator Program, a mentor-driven Accelerator program, that includes an immersive 3-6 month program, where entrepreneurs get through the challenges of launching a company, finding customers and expending to global markets. Startups accepted into the program gain access to top business mentors, technical and marketing experts, office space and resources to help them scale their business.

The accelerators are located in several cities around the world, including Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, London, Paris, Seattle and Tel-Aviv.

History

In 2012, Microsoft opened its first Startup Accelerator in Israel with the intention to empower entrepreneurs and support products such as Azure and Xbox. Since then, the program has grown to host 7 Microsoft Ventures Accelerators.

In June 2013, Microsoft Ventures was officially launched; unifying several of Microsoft's existing venture capital programs - including Bing Fund, founded by Rahul Sood in 2011, and BizSpark.[1][2]

In June 2014, Microsoft Ventures launched an accelerator program for startups in the space of home automation, based at the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Microsoft Ventures launches to lure startup founders away from their MacBooks". The Verge. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
  2. ↑ "Microsoft brings BizSpark, Bing Fund, and its accelerators under one roof". The Next Web. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
  3. ↑ "Microsoft Ventures To Launch Accelerator for Home Automation". 2014-06-17. Retrieved 2015-12-28.

External links

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