Microsoft Launches Initiatives For Startups Microsoft AI Innovate to launch cohort for core AI startups and Hackathon to address business, sustainability and societal challenges

Microsoft India unveiled two new initiatives to help startups and entrepreneurs grow. Curated for AI startups, Microsoft AI Innovate will be introducing its second cohort, and a hackathon for startups will provide resources and support to developers for creating digital solutions.

Aiming to nurture and scale startups in the country, Microsoft AI Innovations second season is inviting nominations from SaaS startups whose core applications or services are built using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Selected startups receive OpenAI preview and credits, access to industry and technology deep-dive sessions and AI masterclasses by experts, mentoring by startup founders and renowned industry leaders, skilling and certification opportunities, among other benefits.

The other initiative, the hackathon for startups invites teams to turn their ideas into prototypes that are built on Microsoft Azure. The hackathon provides startups an opportunity to learn from Azure masterclasses and hands-on training sessions on key technologies like Serverless, Kubernetes, Data Fundamentals, Java & .NET, Github and Azure AI & ML, among others.

"The disruptive vision of startups is catalyzing our country's innovation engine and we are excited to partner with every startup on this journey. With deepened focus on core AI startups in the second season of Microsoft AI Innovate, we are bringing the best of Microsoft's AI capabilities in creating the magic with the power of data and AI. The hackathon provides an opportunity for some of the most innovative ideas to come to life on the trusted platform of Microsoft Azure. We are hopeful that both initiatives will help startups build securely and scale faster through the Microsoft ecosystem," said Sangeeta Bavi, director, startup ecosystem, Microsoft India.