Wayra & Microsoft join forces to support technology entrepreneurs

UK Academy inundated with over 1,000 applications from UK start-ups

Why are Wayra and Microsoft working together?

Telefonica Digital’s tech start-up accelerator programme, Wayra, which launched in the UK last month, has signed an agreement to join forces with Microsoft Corporation in support of high potential technology entrepreneurs. The two companies will work together to provide tools, knowledge and technical training for projects supported by the Wayra initiative. This agreement between Microsoft and Wayra has a global reach and will benefit more than one hundred start-ups that are currently being accelerated by Wayra in nine countries. New projects will also be able to benefit from the Agreement as they are selected by Wayra to be accelerated in Europe and Latin America.

Under the terms of the agreement, Wayra start-up projects will have direct access to Microsoft’s BizSpark program, which offers a wide range of benefits for tech and digital start-ups in the acceleration stage. These include access to and licenses for Microsoft Software Development Platforms (.NET, Visual Studio and Windows Server among others); subscription to exclusive content for developers within Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN); specialized technical support sessions and visibility within Microsoft Partners and Mentors Network.

Wayra UK – oversubscribed

As Telefonica Digital continues its global rollout of Wayra, applications to the new Wayra Academy in London closed on Sunday 22nd April with over 1,000 UK based tech start-ups applying to gain one of twenty spaces at the Academy. The applications will now be shortlisted down to 30 with the final selection invited to attend Wayra Week in May.

What Wayra says about this:

Gonzalo Martín-Villa, Head of Wayra noted that this agreement “is another step in providing more and better tools to entrepreneurs. The talent we have in all our Wayra Academies will now be able to access a new range of first level technological products and services to accelerate their projects."

What Microsoft says about this:

Jean-Philippe Courtois, President, Microsoft International, stated that “The first three years for start-ups are usually the most critical and raise more challenges for their long-term success. This agreement will allow us to reach more entrepreneurs worldwide helping them to accelerate their good ideas and develop great companies”

In addition, the accelerated projects will receive subsidized access to Microsoft’s Cloud Computing platform, Microsoft Azure. This allows them to run their applications and/or Web services with the interoperability and scalability of the best Microsoft Data Centres. Access to the Windows Azure Platform will be subsidised for up to two years, up to a value of US$60,000.