Almost two years ago, the Microsoft for Startups initiative was launched as a way to help up-and-coming businesses to efficiently co-sell their products and establish a solid customer base. Initial plans included the commitment of around $500 million over a period of two years under this program.
Now, as the aforementioned period draws to a close, Microsoft has announced that, as part of this initiative, B2B (business to business) startups are set to establish $1 billion in sales opportunities over the next year. Furthermore, member benefits will now include GitHub Enterprise and the Power Platform as well.
The world"s largest source code repository was acquired by the Redmond giant in the same year that Microsoft for Startups came into being. The Enterprise edition provides simplified account administration and additional security controls over the standard version. As far as the Power Platform is concerned, it offers a host of services in the form of Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate.
Microsoft has also mentioned some more additions that will be introduced further down the road. These commitments have been described as follows:
- Listening to the needs of startup communities around the world and employing these insights to guide our program experience from events and education, to unique vertical tracks such as our Quantum or Autonomous Driving
- Extending our reach even deeper into communities of under-estimated founders and ensuring diverse voices are heard and championed.
- Providing open access to distribution channels including our commercial marketplaces (Azure Marketplace and AppSource), cloud solution providers (CSP), and our enterprise sales force, all positioned to empower startups with unparalleled growth opportunities.
Noteworthy partners of Microsoft that have prospered under the program in question have been recognized as well. These include Element AI, Eagle Genomics, Microshare, TechStars, and Clobotics. Nevertheless, only time will tell whether Microsoft for Startups is able to successfully achieve the goals that have been set out for it this year.