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Microsoft looking for productivity cloud startups for the next cohort of its Seattle accelerator
Microsoft's next installment of its Seattle startup accelerator will focus on "digital work," according to a company blog post on Wednesday.
The company took on its first Seattle cohort in June. That group of 10 home automation startups is graduating at a demo day in South Lake Union later today.
Already, Microsoft Ventures is taking applications for the next batch to fill in behind them. This group will graduate themselves next June.
The accelerator is looking for 10 to 15 companies that are building technology to change the way people work. Chosen startups will be " building scalable productivity applications, cloud-centric software platforms and enterprise-grade solutions to help people get more done," according to the blog post.
Like seemingly everything else Microsoft has done recently, this falls right in line with the new company vision CEO Satya Nadella outlined earlier this year. Microsoft is now a "productivity and platform company for the mobile-first and cloud-first world," and — apparently — so are the companies its looking to help grow.
Microsoft Ventures has hosted accelerator programs around the world for years, but this is just the second cohort to pass through the Seattle program. Of every startup to pass through one of its accelerators, the company reports 80 percent receive an average funding of $1.9 million within a year of graduation.
Source: The Business Journals
