Desi startups, Microsoft is eyeing you

Global tech major Microsoft is looking at investing in Indian tech startups through its venture funding arm, a senior official has said. "Microsoft Ventures is not here yet. We intend to come to this market...there will be an explicit commitment for India," its executive vice-president for business development Peggy Johnson said recently. Johnson, who reports to the company's India-born chief executive Satya Nadella, however, did not quantify the overall commitment that will be made to India, saying an announcement on the same will be made shortly. Microsoft Ventures invests at an early-stage in start-ups and currently has offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Tel Aviv. The company already services about 5,000 Indian startups through its various programmes, including seven accelerators, with partners like an arm of Reliance Industries and 24 third-party accelerators, she said.