When I came to Microsoft earlier this year, I was driven by the opportunity to establish a corporate venture group that would create an additional channel to engage the start-up ecosystem. It would support not just company objectives, but our customers, partners and the ecosystem more broadly. The idea was that we would take an approach which would augment our own product and technology efforts, and enable us to place both strategic and financial bets with early stage companies.
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In Microsoft’s history of engaging with and supporting start-ups, we’ve done a lot of investing, but not a lot of early stage. Because we would often invest alongside commercial deals, we were not a part of the early industry conversations on disruptive technology trends. With a formalized venture fund, Microsoft now has a seat at the table.
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Going forward, this will help us identify and harness those trends as early as possible. To ensure we capitalize on these opportunities, Peggy Johnson and I have created a new team called Microsoft Ventures, a small but nimble team focused on building and extending our muscle of investing with impact. As with the rest of the Business Development team at Microsoft, our view is outward into the market — we focus on the inorganic growth of Microsoft, looking at where we can provide a step function, versus incremental progress.
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On one side of the spectrum, we help early stage companies with tools, technology and consulting through Microsoft Accelerator*. And at the other end is where you’ll typically see our larger investments and acquisitions. Microsoft Ventures now fills a gap we’ve had somewhere in the middle of that range.
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There are often questions around corporate venture programs versus venture capital firms, and whether or not they are at odds or create disadvantages for entrepreneurs. In our case, we are driven by the desire to help early stage companies take advantage of Microsoft’s financial, technical and GTM resources. While we have aspirations to have global impact in new and different ways, we don’t believe we need a large team to do it. In fact, we feel pretty firmly that true advancement will require the efforts of many organizations within Microsoft being smart and focused in what they do best and collectively work to help startups scale.
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Over the last several months, Peggy and I have worked closely with her leadership team to define what Microsoft Ventures would stand for, where we would invest in talent, what geographies we would target and where we would focus our investments. We are starting with a presence in SF/Bay area, Seattle, New York City and Tel Aviv and with the goal of expanding to other geographies in the coming years.
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Given that the move to the cloud remains the single largest priority for the industry, identifying the bleeding-edge companies who complement and leverage the transition to the cloud is key to our investment thesis. Companies developing product and services that complement Azure infrastructure, building new business SaaS applications, promoting more personal computing by enriching the Windows and HoloLens ecosystems, new disruptive enterprise, consumer productivity, and communication products around Office 365 are interesting areas from an investment perspective.
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In addition, and on a more horizontal axis, you should expect to see us invest in companies who are doing work in the areas for machine learning and security.
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We’re not aiming to hit a specific number of investments annually, but you should expect steady activity over the course of the year in the areas I outlined.
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In the coming days and weeks ahead and beyond, you will see us showing up as an investor in companies that complement these spaces and those that aim to disrupt how business is done today.
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* The Microsoft Ventures name was assumed from an existing team within our Developer Evangelism team. That team has now been rebranded to Microsoft Accelerator. Microsoft Ventures will focus on start-up investments while Microsoft Accelerator will focus on start-up enablement, primarily through our seven accelerators around the world.
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+ Microsoft Ventures: A Portfolio with Impact - Microsoft Ventures
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With the official debut of Microsoft Ventures in late May, the momentum is underway already in our first few months. Our aim was to use this fund to place bets on innovators who align to our investment focus – cutting-edge technologies that better enable digital transformation. The reception we’ve received, from the entrepreneurs who are aligned with our ambitions to the VCs who see us as a valuable partner, has blown past our expectations. We are now providing financing and strategic relationships with Microsoft to entrepreneurs in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Tel Aviv. We’ve seen great deal flow and have already completed 13 investments from Series A to Series C, across several B2B categories.
+
Our new website highlights our portfolio, where you can learn more about the promising technologies we’re betting on to disrupt how business is done today. In the world of business SaaS, we’ve invested in Helpshift and Outreach. In cloud infrastructure, we’ve invested in Rescale. In productivity and communications, we’ve invested in three companies – Comfy, Layer and Kahoot in the world of education. In machine learning, we’ve invested in CrowdFlower and more recently, CognitiveScale. And in security, we’ve invested in Aqua Security and Team8.
+
To make all this work possible, we’ve established a strong team with experience in traditional VCs, corporate funds and startups, with impeccable track records of working with founders to grow into large companies. In building this team, we’ve done the challenging work of clarifying our mission – to be the most sought-after financial partner for startups driving digital transformation.
+
I strongly believe entrepreneurs should, and will, want to partner with us because of the unmatched opportunities we can help create. An investment from Microsoft Ventures doesn’t stop with a check – instead, that’s just the beginning. We promise to give our portfolio companies access to the extended and enviable network of Microsoft products, engineers, sellers, partners and customers. With 1.2 billion people using Microsoft Office in 140 countries worldwide and more than 85 percent of the Fortune 500 on the Microsoft Cloud, we are uniquely poised to help our portfolio companies accelerate customer engagement and revenue growth. It’s a promise no other firm can offer.
+
Culture is another area we have more clearly defined, and one of special importance for a corporate venture firm that wants to bridge the gap between the entrepreneurial ecosystem and a large company like Microsoft. We operate with a tremendous amount of autonomy, while representing Microsoft and helping the company identify new technology and partnership opportunities. We have set-up operations close to the center of startup activity in all our locations and we work as a small, focused team, surrounded by entrepreneurial and technical talent. We are building something brand new – not unlike the founders with whom we seek to partner. Agility and speed are paramount to reassuring founders that we understand how this industry works. We promise to work as fast, or faster, than any institutional VC – our goal is to match the urgency a founder feels for getting their business funded so they can get back to work.
+
This month we began a series of meetings with other VC firms, sharing the Microsoft Ventures story and showing them the value we bring as a co-investor and how we provide startups with benefits far in excess of our investment dollars. Perhaps the most exciting part is that this is just the beginning. We’re being invited into amazing conversations, and hope to prove our value to these partners and this community over the coming months and years. We have the opportunity to be the biggest value-add investor on a company’s board. We invite founders to reach outand learn how we can help them in their journey and we promise to do so with no strings attached.
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+ Microsoft Ventures: Making the long bet on AI + people - Microsoft Ventures
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+ Microsoft Ventures: Making the long bet on AI + people
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by Nagraj Kashyap
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Today, I’m excited to share another significant commitment by Microsoft to democratize AI: a new Microsoft Ventures fund for investment in AI companies focused on inclusive growth and positive impact on society. I also have an update about the growth of our overall portfolio of companies.
+
AI holds great promise to augment human capabilities and improve society by tackling some of the world’s biggest problems. Our recently announced partnership with OpenAI is a key example of us working to use AI to address important issues such as climate change, inequality, health and education. Building on that, our participation in the Partnership on AI, and other efforts, we’ll make investments in startups that are responsibly harnessing the promise of AI to empower people and businesses. Companies in this fund will help people and machines work together to increase access to education, teach new skills and create jobs, enhance the capabilities of existing workforces and improve the treatment of diseases, to name just a few examples.
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Not long ago our CEO Satya Nadella outlined principles and goals for AI: AI must be designed to assist humanity; be transparent; maximize efficiency without destroying human dignity; provide intelligent privacy and accountability for the unexpected; and be guarded against biases. These principles guide us as we move forward with this fund.
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The first investment from this fund is Element AI, an incubator and platform that helps organizations embrace an AI-first strategy in support of these principles. Based in Montreal, Canada, the Element AI team is composed of academic researchers with strong connections across the top research labs in North America. Together with Element AI, we can connect human and machine intelligence to fuel powerful solutions.
+With today’s news, Microsoft Ventures expands our original mandate of supporting cloud companies that help enterprises navigate digital transformation. This new fund will make investments of similar size to previous Microsoft Ventures investments, and will only include businesses with promise for strong financial returns (as opposed to non-profits or NGOs). We expect our overall pace of investments will accelerate.
+
Since forming the team earlier this year, we’ve already immersed ourselves in the global startup community – with investments in 19 inspiring companies. Following my last update in October, we’ve not only added Element AI to the list, but, we’ve also closed the following five investments in the US and one in Israel:
+• i3 Equity Partners – an investment vehicle dedicated to early-stage investments in Israeli IoT startups
+• Zipwhip – a SaaS provider that enables businesses to send and receive text messages on existing landline, VoIP and toll-free phone numbers
+• Paxata – a platform provider that enables business analysts with an enterprise-grade, self-service data preparation system
+• xAd – a location intelligence software company that helps marketers unlock opportunities in the 90% of retail transactions that are still completed offline
+• Dynamic Signal – a communications platform company that increases productivity and employee engagement with timely, relevant content across multiple channels and devices
+• Tact – a sales experience platform that transforms a salesperson’s connected device into an AI-powered smart assistant
+
We’ll continue to partner early with entrepreneurs who are breaking through, leading change and making a positive impact as the technology landscape evolves.
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As I reflect on the progress that Microsoft Ventures has made since I joined the company and began the fund earlier this year, I’m incredibly proud to be part this organization. We are providing resources to positively impact the startup ecosystem, the tech industry and people around the world. I’m looking forward to a great 2017.
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+ Tact Secures $15M Series B - Microsoft Ventures
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Tact, the sales experience platform, announced the close of a new $15 million funding round in which Microsoft Ventures is proud to be participating. Led by former Salesforce and Siebel executive Chuck Ganapathi, Tact is on a mission to make enterprise software more human-friendly. Tact’s total funding now exceeds $30 million
Microsoft Ventures partners with visionary entrepreneurs looking to drive the digital transformation.
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The future of computing is being forged today. As a startup, you are using your vision to solve problems at the very edge of what is possible with technology. As the venture capital arm of Microsoft, we want to partner with you to make your vision a reality.
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+ We want to help you create the future.
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Microsoft Ventures brings you access to unrivaled technology, go-to market resources and relationships around the world.
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+ 1.2bn
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More than 1.2 billion people use Microsoft Office in 140 countries and 107 languages.
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+ We are building the intelligent cloud.
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Our technology ranges from enterprise platforms such as Azure and Office 365 through to cutting-edge innovations in virtual reality and AI.
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+ 40%
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40% of Azure revenue comes from startups and independent vendors.
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85% of the Fortune 500 is on the Microsoft Cloud.
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+ Investment Focus
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Microsoft Ventures is your strategic partner, actively investing in startups from Series A to Series D.
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+ Technology Focus
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We focus on technologies enabling a mobile-first, cloud-first future, spanning big data & analytics, business SaaS, cloud infrastructure, machine learning, productivity and security, among others.
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+ Locations served
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+ NY
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+ New York,
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+ New York
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11 Times Square,
+New York, NY, 10036
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+ SF
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+ San Francisco,
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+ California
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1355 Market St.,
+Suite 300,
+San Francisco, CA, 94103
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+ SEA
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+ Seattle,
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+ Washington
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320 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 400,
+Seattle, WA 98109
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+ TLV
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+ Tel Aviv,
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+ Israel
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13 Shenkar St., Gav-Yam, Building No. 5, Herzliya 4672513, Israel
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+ Other ways Microsoft supports startups
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+ BizSpark
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A premier program offered exclusively through select accelerators designed to help startups succeed by giving free access to Microsoft Azure cloud services, software and support. Eligible startups are able to scale their business with up to $120,000 of Azure cloud services per year.
A global initiative empowering entrepreneurs around the world on their journey to build great companies. We provide later-stage startups with the tools, resources, connections, knowledge and expertise they need to become successful companies.
We love to hear from early stage companies that want to change the future with us. If you have a great idea that you think we should hear about - and your company is based in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, or Tel Aviv - get in touch using the link below.
Microsoft Ventures is an active, strategic partner at key stages of a startup's growth, typically investing between Series A and D.
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+ Our focus areas
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+ Artificial Intelligence
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+ Investing in AI companies focused on inclusive growth and positive impact on society.
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+ Big Data & Analytics
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+ Harnessing the power of data to extract maximum insight.
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+ Business SaaS
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+ Boosting the reach of business by letting apps be everywhere.
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+ Cloud Infrastructure
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+ Driving the trillion-dollar migration to the cloud, led by Azure.
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+ Machine Learning
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+ Unleashing the power of the intelligent cloud.
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+ Productivity & Communications
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+ Extending Office 365 to empower every person and organization on the planet.
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+ Security
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+ Driving faster, stronger, more agile threat detection and response.
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+ Locations served
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+ NY
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+ New York,
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+ New York
+
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11 Times Square,
+New York, NY, 10036
+
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+ SF
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+ San Francisco,
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+
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+ California
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+
1355 Market St.,
+Suite 300,
+San Francisco, CA, 94103
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+ SEA
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+ Seattle,
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+ Washington
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320 Westlake Avenue North, Suite 400,
+Seattle, WA 98109
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+ TLV
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+ Tel Aviv,
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+ Israel
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13 Shenkar St., Gav-Yam, Building No. 5, Herzliya 4672513, Israel
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“As the rapid growth of Dynamic Signal continues to change the way companies communicate with employees, it became clear that Microsoft Ventures was a perfect partner, offering an expertise in global enterprise solutions that is strategically aligned with our own growing international presence.”
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+ Russ Fradin, Co-Founder & CEO of Dynamic Signal
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+ Tact Secures $15M Series B
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+
Tact, the sales experience platform, announced the close of a new $15 million funding round in which Microsoft Ventures is proud to be participating. Led by former Salesforce and Siebel executive Chuck Ganapathi, Tact is on a mission to make enterprise software more human-friendly. Tact’s total funding now exceeds $30 million
The new Microsoft Ventures focuses on start-up investments while Microsoft Accelerator focuses on start-up enablement, primarily through our seven accelerators around the world.
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+ Portfolio Investments – Microsoft Ventures
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+ https://microsoftventures.com
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+ Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:53:12 +0000
+ en-US
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+ Dynamic Signal
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/dynamic-signal/
+ Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:50:47 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=285
+ Dynamic Signal is a leading company communications platform, trusted by world-class enterprises to increase productivity and empower advocacy by engaging employees with timely, relevant content across multiple channels and devices. Dynamic Signal is changing the way companies communicate with their employees and is a clear choice for Microsoft Ventures’ support. No one delivers enterprise-grade technology […]
+
+]]>
+ Dynamic Signal is a leading company communications platform, trusted by world-class enterprises to increase productivity and empower advocacy by engaging employees with timely, relevant content across multiple channels and devices.
+
Dynamic Signal is changing the way companies communicate with their employees and is a clear choice for Microsoft Ventures’ support. No one delivers enterprise-grade technology that seamlessly integrates with existing business processes in the same way.
+]]>
+
+
+ Element AI
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/element-ai/
+ Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:49:09 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=284
+ Element AI helps organizations embrace an AI-first strategy. Composed of a research lab uniquely connected to the best academic ecosystems, Element AI incubates AI solutions in partnership with businesses and research institutions. Element AI seeks to create positive relationships between humans and AI in the enterprise – this is well aligned with Microsoft’s priority to […]
+
+]]>
+ Element AI helps organizations embrace an AI-first strategy. Composed of a research lab uniquely connected to the best academic ecosystems, Element AI incubates AI solutions in partnership with businesses and research institutions.
+
Element AI seeks to create positive relationships between humans and AI in the enterprise – this is well aligned with Microsoft’s priority to democratize AI and promote inclusive growth.
+]]>
+
+
+ Tact
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/tact/
+ Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:47:45 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=283
+ Tact is a sales experience platform that transforms a salesperson’s connected device into an AI-powered smart assistant that automates administrative tasks and creates a friction-less selling experience. By giving salespeople a more conversational and unified way to interact with essential tools (like phone, email, and calendar) through an app, SMS or voice, Tact is disrupting […]
+
+]]>
+ Tact is a sales experience platform that transforms a salesperson’s connected device into an AI-powered smart assistant that automates administrative tasks and creates a friction-less selling experience.
+
By giving salespeople a more conversational and unified way to interact with essential tools (like phone, email, and calendar) through an app, SMS or voice, Tact is disrupting how businesses use CRM. This focus on empowerment and productivity is right in our wheelhouse.
+]]>
+
+
+ xAd
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/xad/
+ Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:46:46 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=272
+ xAd is the global leader in location intelligence that drives sales – unlocking opportunity in the 90% of retail transactions that are still completed offline. With its location intelligence, xAd is helping marketers provide a more personalized and meaningful mobile experience to customers. We’re thrilled to support xAd on their mission to empower businesses to […]
+
+]]>
+ xAd is the global leader in location intelligence that drives sales – unlocking opportunity in the 90% of retail transactions that are still completed offline.
+
With its location intelligence, xAd is helping marketers provide a more personalized and meaningful mobile experience to customers. We’re thrilled to support xAd on their mission to empower businesses to unlock the potential in their local marketplaces.
+]]>
+
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+ i3 Equity Partners
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/i3-equity-partners/
+ Fri, 28 Oct 2016 19:43:55 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=252
+ i3 (Israel IoT Innovation) Equity Partners is an investment vehicle dedicated to early-stage investments in Israeli IoT startups. We are excited to be partners with such a unique worldwide syndicate. We intend to assist and collaborate with i3 and its portfolio companies while utilizing the acclaimed ingenuity and know-how of the Israeli tech industry.
+
+]]>
+ i3 (Israel IoT Innovation) Equity Partners is an investment vehicle dedicated to early-stage investments in Israeli IoT startups.
+
We are excited to be partners with such a unique worldwide syndicate. We intend to assist and collaborate with i3 and its portfolio companies while utilizing the acclaimed ingenuity and know-how of the Israeli tech industry.
+]]>
+
+
+ Zipwhip
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/zipwhip/
+ Fri, 14 Oct 2016 17:43:33 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=243
+ Zipwhip is a business texting SaaS provider that enables businesses to receive and send text messages on existing landline, VoIP and toll-free phone numbers. We are proud to support Zipwhip on their journey to drive the future of B2C engagement and communications. With their cloud texting platform, Zipwhip is empowering consumers to engage with businesses […]
+
+]]>
+ Zipwhip is a business texting SaaS provider that enables businesses to receive and send text messages on existing landline, VoIP and toll-free phone numbers.
+
We are proud to support Zipwhip on their journey to drive the future of B2C engagement and communications. With their cloud texting platform, Zipwhip is empowering consumers to engage with businesses via text as naturally as they do with their friends; businesses in turn build texting into their workflow and use it as a productivity tool.
+]]>
+
+
+ Paxata
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/paxata/
+ Fri, 14 Oct 2016 17:42:39 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=236
+ Paxata’s Adaptive Information Platform enables business analysts with an enterprise-grade, self-service data preparation system to support the on-demand and ad-hoc business data needs for analytics and operations. We are thrilled to support Paxata as they empower business analysts with an intuitive visual application to explore and shape their data with clicks, not code. By leveraging […]
+
+]]>
+ Paxata’s Adaptive Information Platform enables business analysts with an enterprise-grade, self-service data preparation system to support the on-demand and ad-hoc business data needs for analytics and operations.
+
We are thrilled to support Paxata as they empower business analysts with an intuitive visual application to explore and shape their data with clicks, not code. By leveraging automated artificial intelligence, elastic cloud architecture and distributed computing, Paxata delivers an immersive web experience that automates the data-to-insight pipeline.
+]]>
+
+
+ Aqua
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/aqua/
+ Sun, 04 Sep 2016 19:25:02 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=167
+ Aqua Security is the leading platform provider for securing virtual container applications. We are delighted to support Aqua’s journey to success in the hyper-growth market of containers, which are revolutionizing application development and delivery, driving new levels of innovation and developer agility. Aqua’s comprehensive security platform for containers enables enterprises to accelerate adoption on both […]
+
+]]>
+ Aqua Security is the leading platform provider for securing virtual container applications.
+
We are delighted to support Aqua’s journey to success in the hyper-growth market of containers, which are revolutionizing application development and delivery, driving new levels of innovation and developer agility. Aqua’s comprehensive security platform for containers enables enterprises to accelerate adoption on both private and public clouds.
+]]>
+
+
+ Kahoot
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/kahoot/
+ Sun, 04 Sep 2016 19:23:12 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=163
+ Kahoot is a social learning platform that makes learning awesome by allowing users to create, share, and play fun learning games. We are thrilled to support Kahoot on their mission to help transform education and inspire learning around the world. At Microsoft, we are committed to empowering educators and students to reach their full potential, and Kahoot is […]
+
+]]>
+ Kahoot is a social learning platform that makes learning awesome by allowing users to create, share, and play fun learning games.
+
We are thrilled to support Kahoot on their mission to help transform education and inspire learning around the world. At Microsoft, we are committed to empowering educators and students to reach their full potential, and Kahoot is making it easy for students and teachers in over 180 countries to create, play and share deeply immersive learning games.
+]]>
+
+
+ CognitiveScale
+ https://microsoftventures.com/portfolio/cognitivescale/
+ Thu, 04 Aug 2016 19:24:06 +0000
+
+
+ http://microsoftventures.com/?post_type=msv_investment&p=165
+ CognitiveScale is a machine intelligence software company that brings scalable, practical AI to the enterprise through its industry Cognitive Clouds. CognitiveScale’s Cognitive Clouds are paving the way for intelligent user engagement and business processes, utilizing the power of AI, cloud computing and advanced machine learning to orchestrate rich and insightful experiences. This directly supports our […]
+
+]]>
+ CognitiveScale is a machine intelligence software company that brings scalable, practical AI to the enterprise through its industry Cognitive Clouds.
+
CognitiveScale’s Cognitive Clouds are paving the way for intelligent user engagement and business processes, utilizing the power of AI, cloud computing and advanced machine learning to orchestrate rich and insightful experiences. This directly supports our mission to empower enterprises to transform their businesses.
Dynamic Signal is a leading company communications platform, trusted by world-class enterprises to increase productivity and empower advocacy by engaging employees with timely, relevant content across multiple channels and devices.
+
Dynamic Signal is changing the way companies communicate with their employees and is a clear choice for Microsoft Ventures’ support. No one delivers enterprise-grade technology that seamlessly integrates with existing business processes in the same way.
Element AI helps organizations embrace an AI-first strategy. Composed of a research lab uniquely connected to the best academic ecosystems, Element AI incubates AI solutions in partnership with businesses and research institutions.
+
Element AI seeks to create positive relationships between humans and AI in the enterprise – this is well aligned with Microsoft’s priority to democratize AI and promote inclusive growth.
Tact is a sales experience platform that transforms a salesperson’s connected device into an AI-powered smart assistant that automates administrative tasks and creates a friction-less selling experience.
+
By giving salespeople a more conversational and unified way to interact with essential tools (like phone, email, and calendar) through an app, SMS or voice, Tact is disrupting how businesses use CRM. This focus on empowerment and productivity is right in our wheelhouse.
xAd is the global leader in location intelligence that drives sales – unlocking opportunity in the 90% of retail transactions that are still completed offline.
+
With its location intelligence, xAd is helping marketers provide a more personalized and meaningful mobile experience to customers. We’re thrilled to support xAd on their mission to empower businesses to unlock the potential in their local marketplaces.
+
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+
October 2016
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+ i3 Equity Partners
+
+
+
+
+
i3 (Israel IoT Innovation) Equity Partners is an investment vehicle dedicated to early-stage investments in Israeli IoT startups.
+
We are excited to be partners with such a unique worldwide syndicate. We intend to assist and collaborate with i3 and its portfolio companies while utilizing the acclaimed ingenuity and know-how of the Israeli tech industry.
Zipwhip is a business texting SaaS provider that enables businesses to receive and send text messages on existing landline, VoIP and toll-free phone numbers.
+
We are proud to support Zipwhip on their journey to drive the future of B2C engagement and communications. With their cloud texting platform, Zipwhip is empowering consumers to engage with businesses via text as naturally as they do with their friends; businesses in turn build texting into their workflow and use it as a productivity tool.
Paxata’s Adaptive Information Platform enables business analysts with an enterprise-grade, self-service data preparation system to support the on-demand and ad-hoc business data needs for analytics and operations.
+
We are thrilled to support Paxata as they empower business analysts with an intuitive visual application to explore and shape their data with clicks, not code. By leveraging automated artificial intelligence, elastic cloud architecture and distributed computing, Paxata delivers an immersive web experience that automates the data-to-insight pipeline.
Aqua Security is the leading platform provider for securing virtual container applications.
+
We are delighted to support Aqua’s journey to success in the hyper-growth market of containers, which are revolutionizing application development and delivery, driving new levels of innovation and developer agility. Aqua’s comprehensive security platform for containers enables enterprises to accelerate adoption on both private and public clouds.
Kahoot is a social learning platform that makes learning awesome by allowing users to create, share, and play fun learning games.
+
We are thrilled to support Kahoot on their mission to help transform education and inspire learning around the world. At Microsoft, we are committed to empowering educators and students to reach their full potential, and Kahoot is making it easy for students and teachers in over 180 countries to create, play and share deeply immersive learning games.
CognitiveScale is a machine intelligence software company that brings scalable, practical AI to the enterprise through its industry Cognitive Clouds.
+
CognitiveScale’s Cognitive Clouds are paving the way for intelligent user engagement and business processes, utilizing the power of AI, cloud computing and advanced machine learning to orchestrate rich and insightful experiences. This directly supports our mission to empower enterprises to transform their businesses.
Layer offers a messaging stack as a service to power rich messaging experiences in web and mobile applications.
+
We are proud to invest in Layer, a company committed to empowering developers to create the next generation of rich messaging experiences in a seamless and efficient way. A complete toolkit, Layer lets brands control and customize every aspect of their messaging to boost user engagement, retention and conversions. Companies including Nordstrom, Yik Yak, Sears, Hertz, and Udacity use Layer to provide the ultimate messaging experience for millions of users.
CrowdFlower is a data enrichment, data mining, and crowdsourcing company based in San Francisco.
+
We love how CrowdFlower is applying machine learning capabilities to the benefit of a wide range of businesses and core functions. CrowdFlower is forging a path to take artificial intelligence from the science lab to the boardroom.
Helpshift is the leading in-app customer support platform for mobile, designed uniquely for the mobile-focused business.
+
Helpshift’s vision for providing a better model of support for both customers and the companies serving them is totally aligned with Microsoft’s belief in the power of great customer experiences. We’re proud to support the team as they remake the customer support experience for a mobile-first, cloud-first world.
Rescale is a cloud platform provider of simulation software and high performance computing (HPC) solutions.
+
Rescale has re-imagined the incredibly complex process of HPC simulations for a cloud-first world. Microsoft and Rescale share a vision around the role that Azure can play to meet the global demand for enterprise-class HPC solutions.
Comfy is changing the way people interact with their workplaces. Comfy is occupant-facing, smart building software that delivers on-demand, personalized comfort and productivity in the workplace.
+
Comfy’s focus on transformative software to enhance workplace productivity will modernize offices around the world. We’re excited to partner with the team to capitalize on what Comfy is delivering in the way of seamless control and great workplace design.
Team8 is a cybersecurity powerhouse, focused on developing disruptive technologies and working hand-in-hand with innovative entrepreneurs to build companies which help solve the world’s toughest cybersecurity problems.
+
We support Team8’s approach to partnering with innovative leaders and entrepreneurs to address the biggest problems in cyber-security. With their focus on creating differentiated, independent leaders in the cyber-security market, we believe that Team8 can make the world a safer place and assist enterprises in coping with the most daunting cyber challenges.
CloudSimple is the next-generation “Private Cloud-as-a-Service” infrastructure service built to deliver unprecedented efficiency and control for enterprise applications.
+
CloudSimple has a powerful vision for a cloud-first future, and we are excited to support them in that vision. They are working to create a cloud platform that supports control, governance, security and enterprise-grade storage requirements, which are essential in a successful move from on-premise architecture.
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