NEW DELHI, INDIA: Microsoft, on Wednesday announced that its BizSpark program, designed to catalyze the success of entrepreneurs by making Microsoft’s end-to-end software solutions available to early-stage startup businesses, witnessed remarkable success in India with over 1000 startup companies joining the platform in the last one year.

Building on the momentum, Microsoft India is now turning its focus to high potential startups with the launch of BizSpark One, an invitation-only program designed to accelerate the growth of selected high potential startups through a one-on-one relationship with Microsoft and a global community of advisors, investors, and peers.

Startups for this program would be selected based on factors such as their potential to succeed in the marketplace and shape the industry’s future with innovative software solutions and their commitment to develop and deploy those solutions, said a press release.

Announcing the program, Moorthy Uppaluri, general manager – Developer and Platform Evangelism (DPE), said, “We are very encouraged by the success of BizSpark in India, especially the overwhelming support we got from our network partners and the community in general.”

“ With BizSpark One, we are taking the next logical step in connecting the startups to a global community of technology veterans and experts to help them navigate the challenges of growing a new business. In very simple terms, the idea behind BizSpark One is to cast a finer net to find the startups that are most likely to succeed in the market and shape the industry’s future,” he added.

In creating BizSpark, Microsoft realized that the startup community requires more than the right technology tools to succeed. They also need access to marketing channels, creative partnerships and coaching from industry experts.

Startups selected for this program wopuld benefit from a deep, one-on-one relationship with a committed partner. Each startup in the program has a dedicated relationship manager who serves as a guide and evangelist to connect the startup with the right people and resources within Microsoft and across its broad ecosystem.

Relationship managers learn each startup’s business and deliver a customized plan to help ensure that the resources, assistance, and guidance provided are closely aligned with each startup’s business strategy and needs, the release added.