Microsoft Tuesday urged startups from Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan to act quickly and register for its highly successful GrowthX Accelerator program before the 22 February deadline, as applications surge from across the region. Now in its second year, the GrowthX Accelerator is part of a broader strategic partnership between Microsoft and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to accelerate opportunities for startups in the region. The initiative connects corporates with challenges to startups that build field-ready solutions and aims to empower B2B tech startups with the commercial and technical resources and support they need to accelerate their growth. Corporate Partners in this year’s cohort include DHL, EY, Etisalat and LuLu Hypermarket. The 12-week program will run from March to June 2022 featuring virtual and physical workshops and training sessions, as well as a series of demo days and networking events. Key areas that the program will address include tech enablement, go-to-market support, investor readiness, corporate and investor demo days, and co-creation. “As a regional leader in digital transformation, Abu Dhabi has long leveraged the power of technology and innovation to realize unprecedented opportunity for the private sector, while creating long-term benefits for the economy. Startups are key to this effort, as they bring unique and creative ways to solve real business challenges with innovative solutions,” said Mohamed Al Dhaheri, acting executive director – business enterprise at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. “We are proud to continue our partnership with Microsoft for Startups to empower another cohort of startups with the training and networking opportunities they can leverage to grow and scale their businesses.” According to Roberto Croci, managing director at Microsoft for Startups MEA, the second phase of the GrowthX Accelerator presents a particularly unique opportunity for tech startups. “The unprecedented disruption of the last two years catapulted digital transformation to the top of the priority list across nearly every organization and industry in the world. There has never been a better time for tech startups to bring their ideas and help these companies not just to return to pre-pandemic operations, but realize next-generation possibilities,” he said. “By leveraging the training and mentorship sessions, demo days and networking events offered as part of the GrowthX Accelerator program, B2B tech startups will be tremendously empowered to confidently take their proposals to potential partners and clearly illustrate how their solution will help the organization better engage customers, empower employees, transform products and optimize operations,” Croci continued. The launch of the second GrowthX Accelerator comes as Microsoft for Startups’ concludes the second instalment of its popular virtual conference series, Highway to 100 Unicorns. The three-week conference saw entrepreneurs across the Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan gain valuable insights on how to build and scale their startups. — SG