Microsoft’s ‘GrowthX Accelerator’ accepts applications for second cohort

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Microsoft for Startups Middle East announced that it is accepting registrations for the next series of virtual conferences in the well-received Highway to 100 Unicorns virtual conference and has opened a second round of applications for Microsoft for Startups’ highly successful GrowthX Accelerator Programme.

The GrowthX Accelerator and Highway to 100 Unicorns are part of a larger strategic cooperation between Microsoft and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to help companies across the region accelerate their growth. The GrowthX Accelerator, which was announced in January 2021 and began in May, brings together companies with problems with businesses that can develop field-ready solutions. It provides commercial and technical resources and support to B2B tech firms, allowing them to accelerate their growth.

H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said, “Startups are the lifeblood of Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem, bringing ingenuity, fresh ideas and ambition to drive progress across all sectors. The Abu Dhabi government is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and businesses through scale up programmes such as GrowthX Accelerator and Highway to 100 Unicorns. The progression of these initiatives to their next phases signifies the success they have achieved in helping startups.We will continue on this journey to ensure innovators have access to all the tools and resources they need to make impactful change in Abu Dhabi.”

“Our second cohort of GrowthX follows a very successful first phase in 2021, where we saw massive interest from innovators across the region,” said Roberto Croci, Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups, MEA.

He added, “Microsoft customers, regardless of their industry or scale, are eager for solutions. Success in a rapidly globalising digital economy relies on making the right moves at the right time with the right technology. Microsoft for Startups exists to support the creators of innovative solutions and connect them with the technology and partners they need in order to grow. Our work with ADIO on the GrowthX Accelerator program lays the groundwork for that sea change in the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem.”

GROWTHX ACCELERATOR

The United Arab Emirates has routinely placed well on global business excellence indexes. The Microsoft for Startups GrowthX Accelerator is aimed to build on the country’s progress by using the government’s incentives for technology startups. The programme fosters connections and brings innovators together to learn, grow, become investor-ready, and better engage corporates in the region through intense technical and commercial acceleration.

GrowthX consists of virtual and physical workshops and training sessions, as well as a series of “demo days” and networking events where startups can present their visions to venture capitalists and Microsoft’s regional enterprise customers. Over the course of the 12-week programme, Microsoft will recruit 15 entrepreneurs from across the region to tackle a variety of corporate difficulties for its clients. DHL, PwC, and Koc Holdings are among the corporate partners in this year’s GrowthX cohort, with more to be revealed.

HIGHWAY TO 100 UNICORNS

Microsoft for Startups also announced that its famous Highway to 100 Unicorns initiative will host another virtual conference series. Highway to 100 Unicorns, co-hosted by ADIO and LinkedIn, brings together professionals from around the world to address difficulties faced by early-stage entrepreneurs in the Middle East, Turkey, and Pakistan, and to share the knowledge they need to create and scale. Between January 24 and February 9, the latest virtual conference series will be broadcast live on LinkedIn and Microsoft Teams. Two sessions will be held daily over the course of the three weeks, the first aimed at idea-stage founders who are still developing their business models, and the second concentrating on the challenges that slightly more mature organisations confront as they explore scaling.

Mark Chahwan (co-founder of Sarwa), Brian Habibi (co-founder of Bayzat), Sarah el Saleh (Partner at Outliers), Yehia Badawy (co-founder of Rain), Joy Ajlouny (Fetchr), and Sarah Toukan are among the confirmed speakers for this year’s Highway to 100 Unicorns conference (co-founder at Ziina). Workshops and information sessions with ADGM and Hub71 will be held during the conference.


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