Microsoft and TechStars Team Up; Giving Away Free Cloud Services to Fledgling Startups.

Startup accelerator TechStars and the Microsoft BizSpark Team have joined forces to offer startups up to $60,000 in Cloud Services on Windows Azure.

Microsoft and TechStars, a prominent startup accelerator which operates programs in Boulder (Colorado), Boston, New York, Seattle and Texas, just announced a new program in which high-potential startups could earn $60,000 worth of compute and storage Cloud Services on Windows Azure over a two-year period. The goal of the alliance is to not only help fledgling startups fast-track their businesses, but to get them using Microsoft’s cloud services.

“Our passion is helping startups succeed around the world by providing funding and mentorship from the best and brightest Internet entrepreneurs and investors on the planet. The enhanced relationship with Microsoft will allow us to provide our founders with even more valuable support and services,” said David Cohen, founder and CEO of TechStars. “Access to technologies such as Windows Azure and other software and services from Microsoft through the BizSpark Plus program gives our companies a leg up in the all-encompassing race to scale and succeed.”

Image Source: TechStars Website

Many of the hottest startups today are building cloud applications or smart devices that heavily leverage the cloud. In doing so, some of the startups are able to more quickly and affordably drive user adoption and generate revenue than ever before, which in turn help scale the businesses. Microsoft postulates that Windows Azure offers an ideal platform for the creation of the Web applications and services that many of these startups are building and are attempting to get them to use Azure early and often.

“TechStars is a great partner with a proven track record of attracting world-class startups. We are excited at the opportunity to work together to help startups when they need it most, with the products, resources and connections they need the most,” said Dan’l Lewin, corporate vice president, Strategic and Emerging Business Development, Microsoft. “Working with entrepreneurs on the forefront of the cloud revolution is especially rewarding. Windows Azure is a powerful, integrated platform, making it easy for startups to get their services up and running quickly with minimal overhead. This is the first offer from our new BizSpark Plus program, and we look forward to supporting TechStars members across a number of markets and technology offerings.”

Graduates and current enrollees in the TechStars program are eligible.

• Cloud Computing
• Azure
• cloud
• Microsoft
• startup
• techstars