Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Microsoft Ventures Launches AI Startup Competition

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    October 12, 2017
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Startup Launchpad

      Microsoft Ventures, the software giant’s venture fund for early-stage startups, is looking for four artificial intelligence (AI) startups across North America, Europe and Israel to share a total of $3.5 million in funding. To find them, the company is running a competition called Innovate.AI.

      “Through this global competition, we are asking startups creating or leveraging transformative AI technologies to apply for a chance to win $1 million from Microsoft Ventures and participating venture capital partners and $500,000 in Azure credits,” wrote Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of Business Development at Microsoft, in a blog. One finalist will be awarded a $500,000 dollars in VC funding and another $1 million worth of Azure cloud computing credits.

      Other participating VCs include the Madrona Venture Group; Notion Capital and Vertex Ventures Israel. Microsoft is accepting submissions until Dec. 31.

      It’s not the first time Microsoft has courted AI innovators, noted Johnson. “Since launching Microsoft Ventures last year, we’ve invested in more than 40 remarkable startups including AI innovators like Agolo, Bonsai, Crowdflower and Livongo,” she said.

      In June, Microsoft Ventures contributed to Element AI’s $102 million Series A round of funding. Data Collective led the investment with additional backing from technology heavyweights Intel Capital, Nvidia and Tencent. Element AI is a Montreal-based startup and incubator working on producing commercial-grade AI systems.

      Also in June, Microsoft was among the companies that helped raise $15 million for CognitiveScale, an Austin, Texas startup that specializes in AI software for financial services, commerce and health care companies. Again, Intel Capital participated in the investment, along with Norwest Venture Partners, the Westly Group and USAA.

      Naturally, Microsoft isn’t the only technology giant investing in AI startups.

      On Oct. 10, Petuum, a machine learning software infrastructure company, announced it had raised $93 million in a Series B round led by a subsidiary of SoftBank, the Japanese Internet and telecommunications company. To date, the Pittsburgh-based startup has raised $108 million.

      On Sept. 19, Salesforce announced the formation of its $50 million AI Innovation Fund. Highspot, Squirro and TalkIQ were the first startups to receive funding. The cloud CRM leader also invested in AI startup studio All Turtles.

      Google, meanwhile, is engaging the community with the Google Developers Launchpad Studio, an initiative that provides technical and product support to AI and machine learning startups, along with a chance to score some funding.

      In an July 26 announcement, Roy Glasberg, global lead at Google Developers Launchpad, said that besides providing access to AI tools and experts, the program also offers startups the opportunity to connect “with some of the best AI and ML engineers, product managers, industry leaders and VCs from Google, Silicon Valley, and other international locations.”

      San Francisco was chosen as the site for Google Developers Launchpad Studio’s global headquarters, but the company’s outreach will include events across the globe.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Careers

      SThree’s Sunny Ackerman on Tech Hiring Trends

      James Maguire - June 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Sunny Ackerman, President/Americas for tech recruiter SThree, about the tight labor market in the tech sector, and much needed efforts to...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×