India Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure Picks 11 Startups for First Class

After reviewing the pitches of the top 20 startup applicants for the India Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure, the judges have decided on the first class. 

The team in India wrote this blog post yesterday to announce the winners: 

The competition was excitingly fierce. After a few rounds of screening, the top 20 applicants were called to present before the panel of judges. This happened a few days back. “This was a rigorous yet exciting process, not just for the startups, but for all the judges as well,” said Rajesh Raju, Managing Director, Indo-US Venture Partners. Recounting his experience, Rajesh said: “Not only did I get to hear some incredible ideas, I got the opportunity to meet some really smart people. It is heartening to see the increasing risk appetite in India--more and more bright people are now giving up well paying corporate jobs to become entrepreneurs! This is an extremely encouraging sign for an investor like me.”

Finally, after several rounds of screening, the judges unanimously selected the top 11 startups that will form the inaugural class of the Microsoft Accelerator for Windows Azure in India: AmplyfyMe, Caeruz Ventures, CipherGraph, CloudInfra, Gameizon, HireRabbit, NowFloats, Plustxt Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Sparsha, Whitesharkk & World Without Me. Each of these companies clearly stood out in their business value proposition, their strong technology or product, and a strong team that can execute on the idea and build a sustainable long-term business.

Congratulations to the winners.