Microsoft, US-based software company, has established Microsoft Ventures as a single point of entry for entrepreneurs to engage with Microsoft.
Rahul Sood, general manager of Microsoft Startups, describes Microsoft Ventures as “a coordinated global effort that offers the tools, resources, expertise and routes to market by providing mentorship, technology guidance, seed funding, joint selling opportunities and other benefits.”
The new unit is split into three segments: Microsoft Ventures Community, within which Microsoft’s existing BizSpark program will continue to offer access to Microsoft tools and technologies; Microsoft Ventures Accelerators, where Microsoft will be expanding its current range of accelerators to encompass Berlin, Moscow and Rio de Janeiro; and Seed Funding from Microsoft Ventures, where Microsoft is evolving its existing Bing Fund, launched in 2012 to make seed investments in startups, and offering additional funding support direct from Microsoft.