Microsoft is expanding its venture fund M12 to India to create new value for startups and venture capitals (VCs) and help them keep up with the pace and direction of innovation.
M12 is a venture fund of Microsoft that invests in innovators who align their focus on cutting-edge technologies enabling digital transformation. The team of M12 comprises experienced VCs and Microsoft veterans who can support and scale companies by leveraging the expansive resources of Microsoft.
“Microsoft has been playing a vital role in shaping and nurturing the startup community in India and across the world. 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,” Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India.
Startups play a crucial role in India to bring innovation and disruption in several areas, create new jobs, and provide technical solutions. It eventually improves the lives of people. Microsoft is well-positioned to assist the startups in India to help them evolve from market ready to enterprise ready.
The tech giant believes that expansion of M12 will help Indian startups to adopt the next phase of growth. It is already supporting startups to become enterprise-ready with Microsoft for Startups initiative.
Microsoft for Startups provides opportunities for startups to reach all over the world through Microsoft’s cloud marketplace, enterprise sales team, and partner ecosystem. The initiative also allows startups to co-sell with Microsoft sales teams and access the top tech VCs in the global arena and mentorship from industry veterans.
Microsoft claims that its Microsoft for Startups initiative has already closed over 120 co-sell deals in just 18 months.
