At the beginning of 2022, Alex introduced me to something extraordinary: the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub program.I was looking forward to the program website and with each benefit I read, I felt it was exactly what I needed for eMIP!I remember that the value of Azure credits, then excited me the most.Only later did I understand that the benefits are structured on several levels and components, and the value of the package on each level is much higher.
In addition, it is NOT like the European funds where, if you wrote a project, you budgeted something (which was approved in some form), you have to buy it - even if the market data has changed in the meantime. To top it off, you are not allowed to modify something unless it is approved, and if you have "built" something, you are not allowed to develop until after the sustainability stage is completed, which can even last several years!
In Microsoft for Startups, you sign up based on a minimal project description, the experts from the program's assistance analyze your idea and team, respectively the business proposal you have. The validation stages follow (between 3 days and 3 weeks for the applicant's situation), both of your business and of the web domain associated with the business. The deposit period is continuous, i.e. several years (not a day or a month) - i.e. throughout the program's validity period.
Eligibility criteria
Private projects that develop software for B2B businesses and I believe in the condition of common sense, to use Microsoft technology within the project. This does not mean using Microsoft technologies exclusively, a fact that is not explicitly mentioned in the eligibility criteria of the program, which you can find HERE.
How do I access the program?
The first condition, to be admitted to the program, is that you must register HERE..
It is very important to have a Linkedin account (both personal and your company) - well organized and updated, which could make the difference. From a first evaluation, made in the eMIP team, we understood that the first level (it is very useful when creating a prototype), but we had for some time surpassed Level 1 "Create the idea", we needed better infrastructure and development tools compared to what I owned at the time.
Can I skip the first level and access the benefits of Level 2-Development?
The answer came directly from Microsoft by the fact that following the analysis of our project proposal and the fact that we already had a functional concept that needed to be developed - they positioned us directly in Level 2.
How did things continue?
The benefits associated with level 2 and the necessary instructions for access to level 3 have been activated in the program account (opened at the time of registration). What are the benefits? The program opens access to a package of benefits, which develop from one level to another and are structured on the following components:
(1) Essentials:
(a). Azure Credits - within the limit of the program level accessed (1k, 5k, 25k, 150k USD);
(b). License package/ post: 10 x Microsoft 365, 20 x GitHub Enterprise;
(c). Azure Technical Advisory;
(d). Access to the Microsoft for Startups Mentor Network (perhaps the most valuable element in the package);
Access to the community of mentors allows you to collaborate with various business and technology experts who have been through what you are going through and are ready to help you reach your next milestone.
(2) Developer and prototyping tools: (a). Visual Studio Enterprise (Valid during the period spent at Microsoft's Single Associates Hub for start-ups); (b). Visual Studio Code (free download); (c). Microsoft Clarity; (d). OpenAI API (total package $8500); (e). Bubble (total package $300); (f). Power Apps – 10 posts; (g). Power Automate – 10 positions;
(3) Sales, marketing and customer management: (a). LinkedIn Premium Business (total offer value: $210); (b). LinkedIn Sales Navigator (total offer value: $300); (c). LinkedIn Ads (between $500 - $1000); (d).Close (total offer value: $4000); (e).Dynamics 365 Team Member – 25 positions; (f). Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise – 10 positions; (g). Dynamics 365 - Customer Service Enterprise – 10 positions;
(4) Business tools: (a). LinkedIn Talent Solutions (Total Offer Value: $510); (b). Power BI – 10 posts; (c). Ansarada - (Total bid value: USD 15,000); (d). Miro - (Total Bid Value: $1,500); (e). Drata - (Total Bid Value: $7,500); (f). AngelList Stack - (Total Offer Value: $500);
(5) Courses: (a). Developers: i. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Describe core Azure concepts / ii. Create and connect to an Azure Database for PostgreSQL / iii. Microsoft Azure Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy and solutions; / iv. Validate your startup idea with customers; / v. Deploy and run a containerized web app with Azure App Service; vi. Provision and manage Azure Cognitive Services / vii. Creating your first web apps with React / viii. Automate development tasks by using GitHub Actions/ ix. Choose the best monitoring service for visibility, insight, and outage mitigation; (b). Company management: i. Startup fundamentals; ii. Naming and branding; iii. How to present your company; iv. Validate your startup idea with customers; v. Build your team; vi. Path to income; are you coming. Fundraising for your startup;
You can find more answers to your questions about how to register and how to complete certain stages in the validation process here.
What follows .. instead of conclusions:
After the 1:1 meeting with Adrian Gheorghe - Startup Program Manager, I understood that we are on the right path! If we will be able to face the challenges, develop a product (or several) that will gain adoption in the market and we will follow the advice given by the mentors appointed by the Microsoft for Startups Mentor Network - we will be able to access the next levels of the Microsoft partnership.
I urge all of you who have a B2B business idea and build applications using Microsoft technologies - to access this program!
It's great! .. and I'll tell you something else: it's FREE!