Staged Update to Trusted Partners

In addition to the support and benefits founders get from the Microsoft family of products and services in Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, we also offer a portfolio of trusted partner offers to provide maximum value to our in-program startups. These exciting partner offers are tailored to the needs of startups today.

OpenAI’s third iteration of its Generative Pre-trained Transformer language model is revolutionizing the way startups approach natural language processing. GPT-3 provides your startup with a startling range of AI-powered features including GPT-3–powered search, conversation, text completion, and more.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members receive $2,500 in credits and free access to the OpenAI team ($2,500 in value).

OpenAI’s API provides a general-purpose “text in, text out” interface, allowing you to try it on virtually any English language task. All our startups will have the opportunity to leverage the power of natural language processing in a huge variety of use cases, from generating chat text to writing code.

We’ve received high praise from founders taking advantage of this offer, with startups finding access to GPT-3 technology to be a gamechanger. Take, Marie Toft at Emotionise, who said they have been, “amazed at the power of GPT-3. We’re training AI to generate and identify audiences’ concerns, desires and emotions to empower users to write engaging content that gets results. GPT-3 has allowed us to go much further, much faster and achieve very high accuracy rates.”

Bubble, is at the forefront of the the no-code revolution with its software development platform that empowers people without programming skills to design, develop, and launch their own applications, tech products, or tools.

Members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub can receive $3000 in credits for the Bubble platform to build fast and responsive web applications that scale.

Emmanuel Straschnov, Bubble founder and co-CEO, said, “We are proud to partner with Microsoft for Startups, a platform completely aligned with our goal of empowering founders to build a sustainable, long-term business and championing their most ambitious vision.”

Massdriver helps operations professionals focus on scalability and reliability without toiling over infrastructure configuration changes. Massdriver’s visual designer can reduce infrastructure development times by 90% while giving startups staging/production parity out of the box and total control of their infrastructure when they need it—all in their Azure account.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members can receive Massdriver’s Growth Plan with unlimited seats for free for 12 months, valued at $20,000 for 12 months. .

Cory O’Daniel, Massdriver co-founder and CEO, said, “We’re extremely excited to be partnering with Microsoft for Startups to put the immense capability of Azure into the hands of all engineers, regardless of their experience with cloud technologies. Massdriver allows users to quickly and easily design and deploy secure, scalable cloud architectures using a simple diagramming interface. With Massdriver, founders can focus on building their product instead of navigating the complexities of the cloud.”

MongoDB Atlas provides a first-class developer experience through a flexible document data model and unified query interface, while meeting the most demanding requirements for resilience, scale, and data privacy. Built to empower developers, MongoDB Atlas has comprehensive ecosystem integrations including Azure App Services, Functions, and more, to seamlessly add Atlas to existing architectures.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members can receive up to $5,000 in MongoDB Atlas credits, valid for one year.

Fundraising is hard. Swoop makes it easier. With access to a network of over 250 investors, Swoop provides your startup with a dedicated funding manager who will work side-by-side with you throughout the fundraising process. From free pitch deck review all the way to curated investor introductions, Swoop is the secret to succeeding at fundraising.

Members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub can receive a 50% discount on Swoop’s Fundraising Package, which includes a dedicated funding manager, pitch deck review and feedback, a valuation calculator, outreach strategy and management, and investor introductions and feedback. This offer is valued at $1,250 and is valid for 12 months.

Retaining equity can be invaluable for the long-term success of your startup. From identifying relevant funding opportunities to developing proposals to successful executions, E.B. Howard Consulting is your single source for all your non-dilutive capital funding needs. EBHC works directly with you to screen, verify, filter, and develop a highly relevant and hand-curated selection of non-dilutive funding options specific to you and your startup’s long-term growth plans.

Christine E.B. Howard, E.B. Howard Consulting Founder and CEO, said, “We are thrilled to share our knowledge and expertise with members of the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub. We believe that education is key to securing funding from non-dilutive funding sources. One of the ways we accomplish this is through the Funding Menu process. We put all the information that a startup could want to know about an opportunity in an easy-to-use format that helps them make informed decisions for their startup.”

Members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub can receive a 60% discount on the full EBHC Funding Menu service, valued at $3,300 and valid for 12 months.

A solid financial model empowers startups to make better decisions, from everyday choices to major strategic pivots. Forecastr is the financial forecasting platform helping organizations forecast revenue, predict runway, understand their numbers, and get funded. Forecastr’s team of experienced analysts will work side by side with startups to create a model that is tailored to fit their business and provides new insight they can use to optimize operations and impress investors. 

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members can access the Forcastr Launch Plan for free or, get a 30% discount on Forecastr platform — with no implementation fees, valued at $2,800 for 12 months.

Get everything you need to effectively manage equity in your startup, all in a single integrated platform designed for founders by founders. From cap tables and shareholder reporting to fundraising, data rooms and employee equity plans, use WE.VESTR to simplify your equity management from ideation to exit.

Floris van Hoogenhuyze, CEO & Co-Founder of WE.VESTR said, “The importance of having a comprehensive equity management solution is something first-time founders typically underestimate; experienced founders less and less; and investors: never. Which is why we’re so excited to be working with Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, as part of our mission to power the growth of the next generation of founders, right from ideation to exit.”

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members can receive a free year subscription for startups with less than 30 stakeholders. Startups with more than 30 stakeholders can receive a 70% discount off the first year of any paid plan.

Yoodli provides you with private and judgment-free feedback on our online meetings. Its real-time feedback will help you slow down, stop rambling, and hit your talking points so you show up with confidence the next time you speak. You can track your progress by measuring your improvement with a dashboard showing your statistics over time! See how you’re doing relative to recommended benchmarks.  

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members can receive a free 3-month subscription to Yoodli, valued at $100. 

Varun Purin, Yoodli’s Cofounder, said, “We were incubated at Microsoft Cofounder Paul Allen’s AI Institute. It’s exciting to take our partnership with Microsoft to the next level by offering Founders Hub members access to the first of its kind AI powered speech coaching technology. As a founder, I know how challenging it is to get judgement free feedback on how to communicate with confidence. Founders can use Yoodli to get private and real-time free coaching on their VC pitches, important presentations, and day to day calls.” 

Some of the challenges we hear again and again are the pains of hiring talent, finding customers and networking with peers and investors. To help with those needs, we are delighted to add LinkedIn to our pool of benefits.

Qualified members can get 75% off 4 months of Recruiter Lite, Sales Navigator Core, and LinkedIn Premium Business and up to $1,000 in LinkedIn Ads credits. These benefits allow startups to leverage the broad spectrum of LinkedIn services to drive their businesses forward. 

LinkedIn products do not allow concurrent subscriptions. Please note, LinkedIn Premium Business is included in the Recruiter Lite and Sales Navigator Core subscriptions. Once you’ve redeemed one LinkedIn benefit you will need to cancel your 4-month subscription to redeem a new LinkedIn benefit.

“Part of growing a business is reaching the right audience at the right time, whether that’s finding a buyer or recruiting new hires with the skills needed to succeed,” said Scott Roberts, VP of Business Development at LinkedIn. “Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is designed to give startups the tools needed to grow their business and with the inclusion of LinkedIn offerings, we’re going to help create connection with the audiences that matter most to them.”

Close was founded in 2013 with the simple goal of doubling productivity for every sales rep. Close CRM is an out-of-the-box CRM and sales process platform designed specifically for startups and growing teams.

Close is now available to all members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub with the first month free, then 80% discount on any Close subscription plan for 12 months. In addition, members will get free migration or import assistance and access to the Close sales library.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub member Lukas Pfahlsberger of Noreja has already been working with Close. He said, “Close offered a very fast and uncomplicated way to transfer our loosely collected leads into a proper sales pipeline. Other CRM solutions we tried had too much overhead and were not really suiting our needs as a small startup.”

Byteboard is designed with growing teams in mind, providing rigorous technical assessments, tested rubrics, and comprehensive performance reports—all designed to help you build a strong technical team. By evaluating technical candidates across 20+ skills the Byteboard interview simulates an engineer’s actual day-to-day work and provides out-of-the-box assessments and adaptable calibration. Hire confidently with Byteboard while giving your engineering teams valuable time back.

Sargun Kaur, Byteboard Co- Founder and CEO, said, “Hiring and building the right team is critical to startup success. But establishing an effective hiring process can be challenging due to limitations on a team’s time. That’s why we’re thrilled to partner with Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub. Together, we aim to assist startups in making smart engineering hires right from the beginning, helping them avoid any hiring missteps. We are excited to support founders in evaluating talent for the skills that matter most to ensure new hire quality.”

Members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub can receive a 55% discount on the first year of an annual subscription, valued at $6,950 and valid for 12 months.

Access to talent is critical to startup success. Toptal’s global freelance talent network helps you tackle your most important initiatives with the expertise and experience you need. With freelance talent that ranges from software development and design to financial guidance and marketing, Toptal gives you the most efficient access to phenomenal freelancers for your startup’s most important projects.

Members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub can receive a 15% discount on global freelance services up to $25,000, valued at $4,500 and valid for 12 months.

Stripe Payments

Stripe Payments is a platform helping small and large companies accept mobile and web payments. Designed for growth, Stripe’s complete payment system allows you to receive payments and transfer money worldwide with their smart APIs and products. Whether you’re creating a software subscription service, an on-demand marketplace, or an e-commerce store, Stripe’s payment platform helps you build and scale your business online.

Members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub who access the Stripe Payments benefit will received $25,000 in fee free payment processing.

Stripe Atlas

Stripe Atlas is a powerful, safe, and easy-to-use platform for forming a company. It creates the legal documents, files the paperwork, and applies for your tax ID number so you can set up your Delaware incorporated company in minutes. By removing lengthy paperwork, legal complexity, and numerous fees, Stripe Atlas helps you launch your startup from anywhere in the world.

Members of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub receive a 50% discount on the incorporation fee worth $250.

Mercury offers banking* for startups — at any size or stage. With an intuitive product experience, founders can access free checking and savings accounts, debit and credit cards, domestic and USD international wire transfers, Treasury, venture debt, and more — and manage their business with confidence. Mercury also offers vibrant community programs that provide founders with the connections, advice, and resources to help them build the next great companies. Launched in 2019, Mercury is trusted by more than 100,000 startups.

*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members get expedited application approval and $750 cash when you deposit $50,000 in your Mercury bank account within 90 days of approval. In addition members are eligible for $250,000 in accounting services, software and other perks.

Members also receive free checking and savings accounts, ACH transfers, domestic and international wires, and more (up to $30,000 in value).

Nick Dellis, Mercury VP of Revenue, said, “Mercury was created by founders for founders after experiencing first hand that other banking options just weren’t built for the modern entrepreneur. Like Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, we prioritize and champion the experience and journey of tech-enabled founders. We are excited to partner with a community aligned with that vision.”

Miro is an online collaborative whiteboard platform to bring teams together, with hundreds of ready-made templates for startups. Whether it’s whiteboarding an idea, sprint planning, or customer journey mapping, Miro can help you and your team scale faster together.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub startups will have access to two market-leading offers from Miro:

• Team offer – ideal for teams of fewer than 10 workers, giving you credits towards the Miro Team Plan
• Growth offer – for larger teams, giving you one month free and a discounted subscription

Co-founder and CEO Chris Dial of Salutare said, “Salutare relies on Miro for product planning and deployment, from customer research to product ideas to specifications and SOPs for deployment. Customers love seeing the real time designs and project plans. It accelerates how fast we can propose, review, and give feedback on ideas. We can all participate together as one team. And we can use it anywhere on any device. A must have.”

Startups invest huge amounts of time and energy in ensuring the compliance of their products and services even as they are evolving and changing. Drata removes the pain of constantly revising your compliance and security status by automating this process.

Drata have waived their implementation fee and discounted the first year ($7,500 in value) for Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members, enabling you to achieve continuous SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, & PCI DSS compliance.

Adam Markowtiz, co-founder and CEO of Drata said, “Early-stage founders continuously tell us they wish they had started prioritizing security & compliance earlier. Partnering with Microsoft for Startups allows Drata to help companies build a strong security posture from the start and set up for scalability as they go through their SOC 2 and other compliance framework journeys. Microsoft for Startups has accelerated our relationship with so many partners.”

Ansarada’s AI-powered virtual data rooms help startups automate processes, manage information governance, and deliver vital intelligence on user behaviour.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub members get 12 months of free access (up to $15,000 in value) to Ansarada’s board portal and curated startup deal room, which uses data from over 24,000 previous transactions to help you make more informed decisions about your fundraising strategy.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub member, Joachim Ackermann of Produgie, told us,  “Ansarada was a very productive tool for us in our recent fundraising round as it got us quickly to a well-managed state-of-the-art data room.”

We’re excited to extend these partner offers to our Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub community and cannot wait to see how startups leverage these amazing technologies. Over time we will be releasing more startup-friendly offers from trusted partners, so watch this space to learn more about what we have coming soon for our community.

To sign up now for Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, click here.