The BizSpark European Summit in Berlin, which took place Thursday, has proven to be an ideal showcase for startups from all over the continent as they compete in front of a live audience and a panel of judges. They’ve already made it through a rigorous selection process, and all 12 finalists reap the rewards of getting that far.
The startups share center stage as part of a collaboration with Microsoft Ventures, which is able to connect them to investors, and Microsoft BizSpark.
In the Microsoft BizSpark Group Blog, Stephan Jacquemot, Microsoft Germany’s startup liaison, said Microsoft is signaling very strongly they are working with startups in a dense, rich ecosystem.
“This shows how fully engaged we are in the lives and business development of startups,” Jacquemot said. “This demonstrates how much effort and sincerity we are putting into collaborating with startups in a very interesting city for the development of the startup ecosystem in Europe.”
Companies are noticing the difference. Jan Sessenhausen, Senior Investment Manager for High-Tech Grunderfonds, said the Microsoft Accelerator and the work the Microsoft BizSpark team has done with startups over the past five years makes for a better ecosystem.
“It just creates better companies, and frankly, it makes my life so much easier,” he said. “The right companies are coming at the right time to the right place to get the five minutes they need face-to-face to make introductions and solve problems or answers questions,” he said.
The Microsoft BizSpark program offers the entry point into this ecosystem of partners and enterprise relationships. You can register your startup for consideration into the program if it’s less than five years old, taking in less than $1 million in revenue each year, and building a software startup in the cloud.
Read more at the Microsoft BizSpark Group Blog.
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Athima Chansanchai
Microsoft News Center Staff