In a move to increase Windows adoption and build new products out of India, Microsoft has tied up with incubators.

In India, Microsoft has tied up with venture capitalists and incubators such as Accel Partners, Morpheus Venture Partners and Gradatim. Christened ‘BizSpark+', Microsoft will fund every start-up $60,000 in terms of software value to its three VC partners who, in turn, will use this money to invest in technology in the start-ups that they have invested.

As a part of its BizSpark initiative, Microsoft is planning to leverage this tie-up by increasing its technology footprint such as Windows Azure into the Indian market. For availing this funding, the start-ups have to use technology related to Microsoft products.

While Microsoft declined to give the number of start-ups who are a part of this initiative, in 2010 the company saw 1,000 start-ups participate in this programme.

Talking to Business Line , Mr Ludovic Ulrich, Global Program Manager – BizSpark Emerging Business Team, Microsoft, explained, “With BizSpark+, we will connect start-ups to a global community of technology experts to help them navigate the challenges of growing a new business, provide them with Microsoft tools and give them more visibility in a global arena such as Microsoft's online marketplaces.”

With this initiative, Indian start-ups will be aware of our entire gamut of offerings, added Mr K.R. Menon, Director – Business Strategy and Operations for Developer and Platform Evangelism, Microsoft India. Currently, Apple with its App Store and Google with its Google Apps store have a strong presence, which, Microsoft plans to challenge with this initiative, say market watchers.

“Microsoft was not always considered an approachable company but with this initiative they are reaching out to start-ups,” Mr Shekhar Kirani, Partner, Accel Partners, told Business Line . Other technology giants such as Intel, SAP, Qualcomm and Cisco have their own investing arms to fund start-ups.

>venkatesh.ganesh@thehindu.co.in

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