Insurance provider American Family Insurance and computing company Microsoft launched a startup accelerator near Microsoft’s Washington State campus on Tuesday that will focus on home automation companies.
American Family will invest a minimum of $25,000 in each startup through its American Family Ventures subsidiary.
The companies will select 10 startups for the inaugural four-month programme, scheduled to begin in mid-August, and will have access to mentorship and a workspace to develop their products.
“Home automation is ripe for startup innovation,” said Steve Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of developer experience and evangelism.
“We are working closely with American Family Insurance to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for entrepreneurs in our accelerator. Startups accepted into the programme will gain critical industry insight to build companies with the potential to have an enormous impact on our lives.”