The University of Waterloo’s Velocity program has tipped us off that Microsoft has announced a partnership with over 150 accelerators and programs worldwide to enroll startups into its BizSpark Plus program. In addition to cloud services and tools for startups, the 12-month program will also provide enrolled startups $120,000 worth of credits for Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform.
“Every startup is unique,” said Steve Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s Vice President & Chief Evangelist, Developer Experience, in a blog post on the announcement. “Regardless of where they reside or what platform and tools they use, our goal is simple – we aim to help early stage companies accelerate innovation and get their stuff in the hands of customers as quickly as possible.”
Accelerators and programs in over 47 countries will have the ability to enter startups into BizSpark Plus starting July 1st. In Canada, this includes Velocity, L-Spark, The Next 36, MaRS, HIGHLINE, and FounderFuel.
“We’re thrilled that Velocity companies will be able to take advantage of this opportunity and we are honored to be in great company as a lead partner for Microsoft in Canada through this program,” said Mike Kirkup, Velocity Director.