Amazon Web Services targets bigger companies, going toe-to-toe with Microsoft

Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services’ partner network has grown to more than 4,000 members, up from less than 1,000 a year ago — a key step for the company as it tries to expand its cloud-computing customer base beyond startups to more large companies. That’s the word from Reuters this morning in a piece on the company’s… Read More…

Startup Spotlight: Socedo dives into social media to help you find sales leads

Socedo-Interview

Socedo co-founder Aseem Badshah came up with the idea for his startup after helping big brands like Microsoft and Guess boost their presence on Twitter and Facebook. Badshah realized that businesses were doing a good job of broadcasting their messages and responding to customer inquiries, but not taking advantage of driving new sales leads via… Read More…

Meet the 10 startups Microsoft just accepted into the TechStars Windows Azure accelerator

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Microsoft is back with a new crop of companies for its Windows Azure accelerator program, operated in conjunction with TechStars. The companies just started working today at Microsoft’s offices in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, with each receiving $20,000 in startup capital, $60,000 in Azure credit and access to resources from BizSpark. We’ve… Read More…

Realty Mogul raises cash to bring crowdfunding to commercial real estate

realtymogul

Realty Mogul, a recent graduate of MIcrosoft’s Windows Azure Accelerator, has raised $500,00 in seed funding from Gust CEO David S. Rose, Zillow board member Gordon Stephenson and serial entrepreneur and Sky Kruse. The company also announced that LA-based real estate investment company AH Capital recently used Realty Mogul — a crowdfunding platform that allows investments to… Read More…

Meet the 10 startups from the Windows Azure accelerator

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It’s not easy to stand in front of a packed room of angel investors and venture capitalists and ask for money. But on Thursday afternoon, that’s exactly what 10 entrepreneurs attempted to do as part of Microsoft Windows Azure accelerator, a new incubator program supported by TechStars.  After months of preparation, Socedo founder Aseem Badshah… Read More…

Keeping up: Windows lowers Azure prices to stay even with Google, Amazon

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Amazon and Google recently dropped their cloud storage prices, and now Microsoft is following suit. The Redmond-based company is reducing pricing for Windows Azure Storage by as much as 28 percent beginning Dec. 12. That’s after a 12 percent price reduction put into place last March. “Our continued commitment to reduce costs and increase capabilities… Read More…

Microsoft and TechStars tap 10 startups for new Windows Azure Accelerator

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After receiving 600 applications, Microsoft this morning named 10 startups to participate in its Windows Azure Accelerator, a three-month program focused on creating new business apps and building new companies on Microsoft’s cloud computing platform and related technologies. The accelerator is a partnership with TechStars, and a follow-up to the similar Kinect Accelerator program that… Read More…

How Microsoft’s new Bing Fund will invest in startups

Voodoo PC founder Rahul Sood, GM of Microsoft's new Bing Fund.

Microsoft today confirmed that it has created a new angel investment fund and startup incubator sponsored by its Bing search engine. The Bing Fund will be making investments in selected startups, giving them access to Bing’s data for use in their applications, and generally helping them build their businesses. News of the fund first leaked… Read More…

Video: Raunchy dance routine a PR nightmare for Microsoft

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[Follow-up: The story behind that nasty Microsoft dance routine] Microsoft announced a significant set of updates to its Windows Azure cloud computing platform this week … and this is how somebody in Norway decided to celebrate, apparently. A techno-dance routine that preceded Microsoft’s Windows Azure presentation at the Norwegian Developers Conference this week featured a group of… Read More…

TechStars, Microsoft ally on new Windows Azure startup incubator

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Microsoft is deepening its relationship with TechStars, announcing today a new startup accelerator program in Seattle designed for those companies developing cloud-based services on the back of Windows Azure. The program will kick off this fall with 1o companies traveling to the TechStars Seattle incubator space in the South Lake Union neighborhood, which ironically happens… Read More…