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Today, Microsoft is launching the first startup accelerator in the company’s history in an effort to encourage more entrepreneurs to build their cloud-based applications using Windows Azure. The program will take place at the Microsoft Israel Research and Development Center, and is a part of the Israel R&D Center’s outreach program Think Next as well as the Microsoft BizSpark program for startups.
Like most accelerators, Microsoft will provide the typical accouterments, including free office space, coaching, mentorship, legal assistance and more, but in this case, it’s specifically after companies building cloud-based startups. The companies will be provided with free access to Windows Azure, but will not receive seed funding.
According to Zack Weisfeld, Sr. Director of Strategy and Business Development at Microsoft’s Israel Development Center, the decision to launch the company’s first accelerator in Israel had to do with the center’s strategic location for Microsoft, and is part of its ongoing efforts to bring startup culture back to the company.
Israel has a very active startup community, Weisfeld explains. “We have 4,900 startups in Israel today, and the third largest V.C. spending in the world after Silicon Valley and New England,” he says. He also notes that out of the startups participating in Microsoft’s BizSpark One, a sort of “best of breed” selection from the larger BizSpark program, 25% of the companies are located in Israel.
“Because we have such an innovation-driven and startup-driven R&D center, we basically came with a proposal to basically change the way Microsoft deals with entrepreneurs,” Weisfeld says of the program’s beginnings. “Part of that proposal was to start, for the first time in the world for Microsoft, our own startup accelerator.”
The new accelerator aims to tap into the region’s activity, by encouraging startups to launch using Microsoft software.
To Boost Windows Azure, Microsoft Launches Company’s First-Ever Direct Startup Accelerator | TechCrunch
Today, Microsoft is launching the first startup accelerator in the company’s history in an effort to encourage more entrepreneurs to build their cloud-based applications using Windows Azure. The program will take place at the Microsoft Israel Research and Development Center, and is a part of the Israel R&D Center’s outreach program Think Next as well as the Microsoft BizSpark program for startups.
Like most accelerators, Microsoft will provide the typical accouterments, including free office space, coaching, mentorship, legal assistance and more, but in this case, it’s specifically after companies building cloud-based startups. The companies will be provided with free access to Windows Azure, but will not receive seed funding.
According to Zack Weisfeld, Sr. Director of Strategy and Business Development at Microsoft’s Israel Development Center, the decision to launch the company’s first accelerator in Israel had to do with the center’s strategic location for Microsoft, and is part of its ongoing efforts to bring startup culture back to the company.
Israel has a very active startup community, Weisfeld explains. “We have 4,900 startups in Israel today, and the third largest V.C. spending in the world after Silicon Valley and New England,” he says. He also notes that out of the startups participating in Microsoft’s BizSpark One, a sort of “best of breed” selection from the larger BizSpark program, 25% of the companies are located in Israel.
“Because we have such an innovation-driven and startup-driven R&D center, we basically came with a proposal to basically change the way Microsoft deals with entrepreneurs,” Weisfeld says of the program’s beginnings. “Part of that proposal was to start, for the first time in the world for Microsoft, our own startup accelerator.”
The new accelerator aims to tap into the region’s activity, by encouraging startups to launch using Microsoft software.
To Boost Windows Azure, Microsoft Launches Company’s First-Ever Direct Startup Accelerator | TechCrunch
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