Microsoft’s venture fund – M12 – has announced its local presence in India with the opening of an office in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru office joins an M12 network that includes San Francisco, Seattle, London, and Tel Aviv. It will pursue investment opportunities across the region, focusing on B2B software startups, targeting both local and cross-border solutions.
M12 (formerly known as Microsoft Ventures) invests in enterprise software companies in the Series A through C funding stages with a focus on applied AI, business applications, infrastructure, security, and vanguard technologies. M12 is a financially focused venture fund and hence does not seek strategic alignment to invest in a company.
Post-investment, the startups in M12’s portfolio can elect to work with the fund’s Portfolio Development team. The portfolio companies benefit from Microsoft’s go-to-market resources and joint selling opportunities as well as access to Microsoft leaders and engineering teams.
In a press release, Abhi Kumar, India Lead for M12, said, “Typically, we see the greatest hurdles in a startup’s journey as they scale from local success to global challengers, and then again when they go on to become category leaders. Both inflection points require specific and deep organizational strength, proven talent, GTM partnerships, and global investors. M12 is proud to be co-located in the region, and to bring experience and resources that will help startups successfully navigate these inflection points.”
Since its founding in 2016, M12 has invested in 90 companies and partners with several of Microsoft’s broad startup engagement programs, such as Microsoft for Startups. M12 has already been remotely investing in India since 2019 but the new office indicates the company’s long-term commitment to the Indian startup ecosystem.