Microsoft mentoring Indian start ups

Microsoft is eyeing Indian start ups that have the potential to influence life of lakhs of consumers and groom them so that they are fit to stand out in the digitial arena. The IT giant has embarked on a mission to support and counsel start ups to get them visibility on the digital platform.

So be it Focaloid, the homegrown social networking platform for photographers, or Tookitaki, a social recommendation platform for businesses to discover their target audience, or ToCha, which develops mobile applications in the edutainment and travel space orPlaypower, which is about educational games for PCs and mobile devices, Microsoft is handholding and mentoring these startups under the Microsoft BizSparkprogramme.
Pradeep Udtha, Program Lead, Microsoft BizSpark says the programme is grooming young entrepreneurs globally to market themselves online and fast-track their success with software, support and visibility.

Microsoft conducts technical workshops for startups and walks them through the latest cost-saving and efficiency-boosting cloud computing solutions available on Windows Azure. Microsoft has reached out to 50,000 startups across 100 countries globally so far, he says. "Considering start-ups can not afford to invest in expensive software, Microsoft helps them learn the basics and then adapt them as per their requirement. A start up that enters the programme, gets $60,000 worth of MS programs over two years until they fly on their own," he adds.

Microsoft conducts one-on-one session with the start ups and discusses thread bare the design of the product or proof of concept. The second stage involves helping them design and scale up business.

In case of Focaloid that has been developed by IIM-A grad Venkat Ramakrishnan and his team, interactivity on the digital platform was a challenge. "Somehow we could not handle the overwhelming response to the portal and were struggling to cope up. With cloud computing, things have become simpler," Ramakrishnan adds.

Technology can be a game-changer for almost every business, notes Udtha. Microsoft created the BizSpark program globally, to support entrepreneurship and help startups grow their business. By providing founders with access to leading technology products, business and technical support, and market visibility, Microsoft is assisting young companies when they need it most.