Microsoft has struck partnerships with startup accelerators around the world in a new bid to make inroads against Amazon Web Services, Google and other rivals in cloud computing.
The initiative, announced this week, will allow startups to apply for free credits for Microsoft Azure cloud services through accelerators and incubators including Techstars, ERA, MassChallenge, Seedcamp, and 1871, leveraging Microsoft’s BizSpark Plus program. Qualifying startups will get up to $10,000 in credits each month for up to a year, and can use the credits to relieve stress around cloud services.
“We have spent a tremendous amount of time listening to better understand what startups need to be successful,” said Microsoft’s president of developer platform and evangelism Steve Guggenheimer in a blog post. “From deeper support for open source technologies and tools on Azure to running and managing seven accelerators in seven countries, via our Microsoft Ventures programs, we’re taking the feedback to heart.”
AWS is widely used among startups, contributing to Amazon’s dominance in some of the most closely watched areas of cloud computing.
Startups can check with their local accelerator to see if they qualify for the free credits from Microsoft. Startups must be less than 5 years old, privately held and have less than $1 million in annual revenue to qualify for the BizSpark program.
