Blog of Intellectual Capital

Microsoft Steps Up Its Israel Accelerator

By Deborah Gage

Microsoft

Microsoft’s accelerator in Israel.

Microsoft this month is introducing the newest graduates of its Israeli Windows Azure accelerator to the U.S. as the startups embark on a U.S. tour seeking prospective investors and customers. Microsoft started the accelerator last year as part of a broad corporate effort to re-ignite interest in its software, which includes the Azure cloud platform. Startups don’t have to use Azure to get accepted.

Israel lately has been a startup machine, with Israeli army veterans using the technical skills they’ve learned in the military to launch companies alongside their friends, and admission to the accelerator is getting more competitive–the company reports 300 applicants for 13 places this time, compared to 100 applicants for 11 places last year.