Jim Brisimitzis has left US-based software provider Microsoft, where he headed its Microsoft for Startups initiative, to take a managing partner role at venture capital and accelerator group Quake Capital.
Brisimitzis will be based at Quake’s Seattle office when it opens in 2019, helping the firm in its fundraising and expansion plans and taking charge of corporate development and outreach.
Microsoft has put $500m of funding behind Microsoft for Startups, which offers early-stage cloud software developers the opportunity to distribute products to its existing customer base in addition to providing more conventional accelerator resources such as expertise and technology.
The unit had been headed by Brisimitzis as general manager of cloud development relations since it was established in 2015. He had previously spent almost 18 months as head of operations and growth programs for M12, the Microsoft investment unit then known as Microsoft Ventures.
Microsoft hired Brisimitzis in 2005 and he had worked with [original equipment manufacturer] server product, channel management and product marketing before joining Microsoft Ventures.
– Photo of Jim Brisimitzis courtesy of LinkedIn