100 Startups From 10 Cities To Pitch At Microsoft BizSpark India Startup Challenge Regional Finals

Friday May 24, 2013 , 3 min Read

The Microsoft BizSpark - India Startup Challenge 2013 is coming to conclusion and the response for this year's competition has been overwhelming. We had announced the launch of the BizSpark competition in March of this year and we have received hundreds of applications from all across India.

This year's Startup Challenge is being conducted in 10 cities across India with the Grand National Finale being held in Bangalore. On offer is a grand prize of $70,000 in cash and $2 million worth of non-cash prizes for regional winners. And the winners at the national finale will receive Surface with Windows Pro, Surface with Windows RT and Windows Nokia 920 phone & XBOX 360.

10 best startups from each city have been shortlisted to present to a panel of eminent Jury at the Regional Finals and the winners from each city will then get to present at the Grand Finale in Bangalore.

If you want to witness few of the best startups from your city pitch to the jury, then please register here to block your seats

And here is what's in store for the finalists and winners this year -

Prizes for Regional Finals Winners: Grant Prize – $70K Cash and $2M worth of non-cash prizes

Winner – $4000
First Runner up – $2000
Second Runner up – $1000

Non Cash Prizes (For Winner and First and Second runner up)

One Windows Phone
BizSpark Plus Membership
Qualify to be part of “Microsoft BizSpark Emerging Indian Startups 2013 Year Book”
Windows 8 App AFT (Application Fast Track) which provides feedback on design/UX of app so startups can improve their Windows 8 app
Priority consulting slots at the Windows Store App Labs (Design, Test and Technical consultation) in India
10 Tech Support Hours on Windows 8, Windows Phone and Windows Azure
Online campaign to promote winners for one month (Social Media, Stories, Interviews)
One day Windows 8 UI/UX Training
One day Windows Azure Training
One day Windows Phone 8 Training
Single point of contact for Startups @ Microsoft
Exclusive Invitation for National Finals Day to meet senior management of Microsoft and VCs
Recommendation to Microsoft Accelerator Program
Exclusive connects with Venture Capitalists
Tagging with Global BizSpark site and other Microsoft Web Entities
Exclusive Connect with Microsoft Account Management Teams to evangelize your solution

Here is the city wise calendar:

25th May - Hyderabad

29th May - Kolkatta

29th May - Cochin

1st June - Pune

1st June - Delhi

4th June - Ahmedabad

4th June - Mumbai

6th June - Coimbatore

6th June - Bangalore

7th June - Chennai

Read more about the winners from last year's Indian Startup Challenge here