Microsoft’s venture fund, M12 on Wednesday announced its local presence in India with the opening of an office in Bengaluru.
M12 a venture fund by the tech giant that invests in enterprise software companies in the Series A through C funding stages. The fund has a focus on applied AI, business applications, infrastructure, security, and vanguard technologies.
M12 has already been remotely investing in India since 2019. With its first office in India, M12 will pursue investment opportunities in the country, focusing on B2B software startups in these focus sectors. Its portfolio currently includes ventures such as Innovaccer and FarEye.
“M12 seeks to invest in disruptive enterprise software startups in the Series A through C funding stages, targeting both local and cross-border solutions,” the company said in an official release.
“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,” said Abhi Kumar, India Lead for M12.
Startups that make it to M12’s portfolio can elect to work with the fund’s Portfolio Development team post-investment and have access to Microsoft technology and internal thought leaders for co-marketing opportunities. They can also engage with engineering teams to explore product integrations.
M12 since its inception in 2016 has invested in 90 companies so far. The Bengaluru office joins an M12 network that includes San Francisco, Seattle, London, and Tel Aviv.