Dubai: The second round of applications have opened at Microsoft for Startups’ GrowthX Accelerator Programme as well as for the next series of virtual conferences forming the Highway to 100 Unicorns summit. These are part of a broader strategic partnership between Microsoft and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to accelerate opportunities for startups across the region.
The GrowthX Accelerator, announced in January last year and launched in May, brings together corporates with challenges and startups that can build field-ready solutions. It empowers B2B tech startups with the commercial and technical resources and support they need to accelerate their growth.
Microsoft for Startups GrowthX Accelerator is designed to consolidate the progress the country has made by leveraging the benefits its government offers tech companies. “Our second cohort of GrowthX follows a very successful first phase in 2021, where we saw massive interest from innovators across the region,” said Roberto Croci, Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups, MEA. “Microsoft customers, regardless of their industry or scale, are eager for solutions.
“Success in a rapidly globalising digital economy relies on making the right moves at the right time with the right technology. Our work with ADIO on the GrowthX Accelerator program lays the groundwork for that sea change in the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem.”
GrowthX includes virtual and physical workshops and training sessions, as well as a series of “demo days” and networking events where startups get the opportunity to showcase their concepts to venture capitalists and Microsoft’s regional enterprise customers. Microsoft will recruit 15 startups from across the region to solve a range of corporate challenges for its partners over the course of the 12-week program.
