Reinventing the world, startups grow their businesses on Microsoft technology

Vanessa Ho, Microsoft News Center Staff

In the span of five years, UniKey has grown from a tiny startup to a pioneer in the smart lock industry. Its founder and president, Phil Dumas, has gone from a budding Florida entrepreneur who appeared on “Shark Tank” to the head of a company that’s raised $14.3 million.

UniKey now powers a leading smart lock on the market with partner Kwikset, the largest residential lock manufacturer in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world.

“We basically set out to replace your entire keychain with your phone,” says Dumas. “As long as you have your phone on you or in your pocket or purse, all you have to do is walk up and touch the door and it magically unlocks.” In other words, no fumbling for your keys — or your phone to open an app.

UniKey is one of many successful startups around the world to grow and raise funding with the help of Microsoft programs and tools. Microsoft BizSpark gives thousands of dollars in free Azure cloud services to startups, and Microsoft Ventures operates accelerators in seven cities worldwide that give startups guidance and mentoring to pitch investors.

Microsoft helps startups grow in all stages of funding, whether they’re bootstrapping, crowdfunding, talking to angels or going through their first Series A. With free access to Azure, startups have a secure, reliable, open-source-friendly platform to deploy apps, store data and create virtual machines as they develop their solutions.

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http://news.microsoft.com/features/reinventing-the-world-from-keys-to-light-switches-startups-grow-their-businesses-on-microsoft-technology/

To learn more about Microsoft startups, join BizSpark or apply to a Microsoft Ventures Accelerator, visit www.microsoft.com/startups.