Microsoft launched the Highway to 100 Unicorns initiatives to strengthen startup ecosystem in Myanmar

Microsoft for Startups launches the Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative in the Asia Pacific to strengthen the region’s startup ecosystem. This follows the initiative’s success in India, where only 56 startups were selected to the Emerge X program from six states, which have over 15000+ startups. The Emerge X winners have greatly benefited with global market access support, a 3-day founder Bootcamp with world-class mentors, access to funding, ongoing mentorship, and guidance on Azure, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more.

Innovation is critical to unlocking inclusive economic growth in the Asia Pacific; high-income economies in the region invest three times more in research and development as compared to their peers. To spur innovative entrepreneurship, Microsoft will work closely with governments and industry partners to discover and nurture technology startups with a high potential to become truly global enterprises in the future.

“At Microsoft, we are working to build up a more supportive ecosystem for startups in Myanmar,” said Soe Thu Aung, Country Manager, Microsoft Myanmar. “Emerging markets like Myanmar happen to be among the fastest-growing economies in the world which is why startups will play a vital role as innovators, disruptors and first-movers. Through Highway to a 100 Unicorns, we will enable startups in Myanmar to drive digital innovation in the region.”

Innovators and entrepreneurs from a total of 16 countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) are invited to be a part of the Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative.

To be considered, startups will first have to submit an application for Emerge X competitions in their countries. Criteria for startups to apply for Emerge X are Business-to-Business companies with the product-market fit, revenue-generating with at least 3-4 clients; Business-to-Customer companies with a large customer base (upward of 100K customers) and are revenue-generating, and Funding is a plus.

All Emerge X startups will be awarded free GitHub and Azure credits and focused business and technology workshops. Three finalists per country will be announced in November. They will additionally benefit from a year-long mentorship with technical and business deep dives, a Founder Bootcamp over 3 days, access to enterprise clients globally through Microsoft’s unique co-sell program as well as opportunities to interact with Microsoft experts and industry stalwarts.

(Myanmar Business Today: https://mmbiztoday.com/microsoft-expands-highway-to-a-100-unicorns-initiative-to-support-startups-in-myanmar/ )

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