Demo Day 2020 ‘partner spotlight’: Microsoft Norway
For our 5th Katapult Accelerator Demo Day, and our very first in an online format, we are excited to announce four brilliant main partners with us for this event. Over a couple of ‘Partner Spotlight’ series, we will introduce you to the main partners and ask them to share their thoughts and perspectives on working with startups, how they work with the UN SDG’s and their view on the role technology play for building a better world.
In this first ‘Partner Spotlight’, we are introducing Microsoft and its Data&AI Specialist and Microsoft for Startups Norway Team Lead, Izabela Hawrylko.
Microsoft is a leading global provider of cloud services with its Microsoft Azure cloud platform, modern work solutions with Microsoft 365; business applications with Dynamics 365, personal computers, and devices with its Surface product line as well as a strong player in the gaming ecosystem through Xbox consoles and community.
Through the partnership with Microsoft, Katapult Accelerator’s startups have had prioritized access to Microsoft for Startups program that helps B2B tech companies to scale and grow through, among others, access to Microsoft technology like Azure cloud platform, collaboration tools like Teams and GitHub, and support in building go-to-market strategy. The local team also offers startups 1:1 mentoring sessions with industry experts as well as cloud architects who, on a daily basis, work with the biggest Norwegian enterprises as well as facilitating introductions to Microsoft customers and partners.
Read on to hear what Izabela has to say about startups, SDG’s, and technology.
Why is it important for Microsoft to support and work with startups?
Supporting local and global startup ecosystems through better access to technology and resources like industry insights, tacit knowledge, and a worldwide network of customers, partners, and experts, is very high on Microsoft’s agenda. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization to achieve more. In order to realize this mission and really enact the values we espouse as an organization, it’s essential that we support the breadth of companies, from the largest global corporations like Microsoft to young and bold companies who are aiming to disrupt industries with their innovative solutions.
The other perspective is the important place startups have in Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. Microsoft is a partner-led organization playing more and more often a role of an enabler, a provider of platforms like Microsoft Azure or Power Platform, a low-code no-code environment for developing mobile and web apps, that our partners use as a foundation for building their own products and services.
Startups enrich our partner ecosystem and strengthen it with their drive, passion, innovative thinking, and very often alternative approach towards building software both we and our other partners can learn from. They also create solutions, both horizontal and industry-focused that cater to even the most demanding needs of our customers. This blogpost also highlights why we specifically find our partnership with Katapult Accelerator valuable.
How does Microsoft work with the UN SDGs?
Supporting Sustainable Development Goals is important for Microsoft as it’s one of the key components of our mission. Taking the company’s reach and global scale into account, it is also our responsibility to leverage available resources as well as competence and knowledge sitting with our organization and the partner ecosystem in order to contribute towards goals like improving the health and well-being of underprivileged communities, developing sustainable cities and communities and preventing climate change.
In January 2020, Microsoft announced the creation of $1 billion climate innovation fund, moving towards becoming carbon negative by 2030 and, by 2050, removing all carbon emissions we have generated through our operations since the company was founded back in 1975. To achieve these ambitious goals, we establish new partnerships to develop state-of-the-art carbon capture and sequestration technologies.
In addition, we are running numerous programs within our AI for Good initiative that supports projects using artificial intelligence (AI) technology and cloud software to solve challenges. Programs within our AI for Good initiative are AI for Earth, AI for Health, AI for Accessibility, AI for Humanitarian Action, and AI for Cultural Heritage. More information on all programs can be found here.
What is Microsoft’s perspective on the role technology play in solving the global challenges we are facing?
Enormous compute power and data-processing capacity have been democratized thanks to cloud technology and can now be leveraged by small and large communities across the whole world. While technology by itself is not a solution to the challenges the world is facing, including the global pandemic we are currently experiencing, it is playing a key role in finding the answers and helping us figure out how to overcome those challenges.
One example is the development within the field of AI that can help us predict yearly changes in temperatures and precipitation more precisely in different geographic areas, as a result of global warming, so that both governments and communities living in these areas can be better prepared for more severe weather conditions and prevent considerable damages and loss of lives.
We have also seen the important role of digital collaboration tools during the pandemic, enabling people and communities to come together in these uncertain times, still managing to uphold important functions in society, such as within educational institutions.
Read our blogpost if you would like to learn more!
Thank you, Microsoft, for being a main partner and supporter for our fifth Demo Day!
Sign up here if you would like to join us for our online Demo Day on the 23rd of September!
