Microsoft ScaleUp extends support to 18 startups
Microsoft ScaleUp has extended support to 18 startups in SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region in the last 12 months.
Microsoft ScaleUp said on Wednesday it has extended support to 18 startups in SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region in the last 12 months.
A part of the Microsoft for Startups initiative, Microsoft ScaleUp provides startups access to world-class technology, mentorship, and other community benefits that further their expansion on a global scale, the company said in a statement.
Lathika Pai, country head - MENA and SAARC, Microsoft for Startups
The selected startups in the region are focused on areas such as fintech, blockchain, healthtech, and IoT among others, the statement said.
Leveraging Microsoft's tech expertise and global enterprise clients, the programme is designed to help startups explore emerging technologies and tap into newer markets, it said.
"All the participating startups are well on their product development journey and are gearing up for Microsoft's co-sell programme", it said.
Lathika Pai, Country Head, Microsoft for Startups - MENA (Middle-East and North Africa) and SAARC, said that globally, the success story of the startup ecosystem in the region is drawing great attention. The Microsoft ScaleUp programme has shaped several startups in their journey to being 'enterprise-ready'.
The key aspect of the Microsoft ScaleUP programme will be the co-sell initiative, where startups will be part of the company’s sales team, ensuring a wider reach within a particular geography, or even the opportunity to go global.
“We are keen on the go-to-market strategy of these startups, where they can move into the next level either in terms of getting into the next round of funding or scale their business faster,” says Lathika.
As part of Microsoft ScaleUp, during the engagement spanning eight to 12 months, the selected startups have opportunities to regularly engage with industry experts and leverage the Microsoft Partner Network for business growth, the statement added.
Lathika says, the Microsoft ScaleUP programme will engage with startups to ensure they are ready for enterprise-level customers, and have the technology platform which can scale. The Microsoft ScaleUP programme will not offer any funding mechanism for startups as this aspect will be looked into by Microsoft Venture.
(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)
