Microsoft Extends Its Startup Venture Fund M12 To India

Global tech giant Microsoft has today announced its venture fund M12 in India with an aim to help Indian startups embrace the next phase of growth. The fund typically invests in enterprise software companies from Series A to Series C.

M12 team is comprised of experienced VCs and Microsoft veterans who will be adding value to the company’s investment portfolio, beyond just the capital invested.

Microsoft’s M12 portfolio includes next generation technology companies spanning over big data and analytics, business SaaS, cloud infrastructure, AI/machine learning, productivity, security, and other emerging technologies.

Talking about Microsoft’s offerings for the startup ecosystem, Anant Maheshwari, president of Microsoft India said, “With our intelligent tech expertise, deep focus on trust and unique global go to market partnering, we empower unicorns and startups to scale sustainably at a global level. We remain excited about India’s entrepreneurial startup potential and will continue to accelerate it as a growth engine for the economy.”

Venture fund M12’s existing portfolio includes deeptech startup Acerta, drone startup AirMap, and cloud security company such as Aqua Security.

Other Startup Focused Initiatives Led By Microsoft

Earlier in April 2018, Microsoft has selected 12 startups for the 12th cohort of its Microsoft ScaleUp (earlier called Microsoft Accelerator) programme. Microsoft ScaleUp is part of the ‘Microsoft For Startups’ initiative, which was launched in February 2018.

Microsoft for Startups is aimed at helping startups become enterprise ready. The programme helps startups across the globe by leveraging Microsoft’s cloud marketplace, enterprise sales team, and rapidly growing partner ecosystem to reach customers globally.

Under this initiative, the Microsoft ScaleUp program supports Seed or Series A funded B2B (and select B2C) tech-enabled startups to scale and be competitive. Through this program, startups can co-sell with Microsoft sales teams, get access to top tech VCs in the global arena and mentorship from industry veterans.

In the past 18 months, Microsoft for Startups has closed more than 120 co-sell deals with more than $126 Mn in active pipeline for startups.

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