[Comprehensive] It supports all startups in Korea, launched 'Microsoft Launcher'

Microsoft Korea held a press conference to commemorate the launch of 'Microsoft Launcher' at Microsoft headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul today (29th).

Microsoft Launcher is a platform for fully supporting the problems of domestic startups through the largest technical and financial benefits of the industry, and software-based products with ideas regardless of the founder's background, location, or progress. Alternatively, anyone can apply for service development-based startups.

Microsoft Launcher offers 500 million won worth of benefits to development startups, including Azure credits, licenses and technical support. Azure Credit will be paid up to 200 million won in stages such as Idea, Develop, Product Launching and Customer Security (Grow), and SCALE. In addition, various development/business tools such as GitHub, Visual Studio, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365 are provided for free for one year.

In addition, it supports the use of GPT-3 of OpenAI, a natural language processing model, to build new products. Startups selected through separate applications can be supported by open AI credits worth $ 1,000, three months of API innovation license, and free consulting by open AI experts.

There is also an opportunity for learning through Microsoft Learn, an online learning platform. A start-up-based curriculum, including a session that can be advised by 1: 1 year a day, is provided, and it is possible to find feedback advice from product roadmaps, business plans, and operation through Microsoft Mentor Network.

Microsoft Lee Ji-eun, CEO Welcome

The meeting started with Lee Ji-eun with a welcome speech by Korea Microsoft. Lee Ji-eun, who started a welcome speech with a story about the potential for the Korean market he thinks in Microsoft, said, In the past, Korea has been talking a lot that Korea is a manufacturing powerhouse, but nowadays, various K-contents are highlighted worldwide., Korea's digital innovation capabilities and growth, including startups, are attracting the attention of the world. I'm thinking.

In addition, he said, We plan to actively support the promising startups to create a sustainable ecosystem without technical and financial constraints through Microsoft Launcher. I want to contribute to it and understand it as the first place to create a joint growth opportunity.

We will be with Korea, which leads innovation technology for startup growth

Next, Ahmed Microsoft Asia president, who visited Korea in order to commemorate the official launch of Microsoft Launcher, shared the vision of innovation in Asia, which has recently begun to change rapidly with a welcome speech.

Ahnmed Maz Hari, who mentioned that the startup ecosystem in Asia is exploding, continued to announce that Asia is the powerhouse of global innovation and startups are at the center. The recent predicted indicators of the future are expected to take half of the global GDP by early 2040, and half of R & D investment will be made in Asia by 2030. It was once exclusive to Silicon Valley, but it is growing throughout Asia and is facing an important transition.

In the past, 'Made in Asia' was common, and in recent years, 'Born, Asia, Designed Asia has become unfamiliar, he said. Startups grow in many countries in Asia And not only thriving, but many investments are being made.

In fact, according to CB Insight, a global market research firm, Asia recorded the highest venture transaction in Jinhae. In addition, three countries in Korea, China and India have been included in the top 10 countries that have produced the most unicorn startups in 2021.

One of the interesting phenomena of startup ecosystems in Asia is that the service, which is called a super app, is generalized, App is basically supported by social media as well as financial services. In the situation, there is a growing number of innovations that enable business to use their insights.

In addition, he said, Korea's GDP, which stayed at $ 116 billion during the 1986 Asian Games, grew to $ 650 billion in the 2000s, and recently to $ 1.8 trillion. It is expected to be able to support the market. It has a lot of ideas that many Korean companies can become a game chamber, and Decacon (Unicorn Company continues to grow its corporate value, which is more than $ 10 billion or more than unicorn. I think it has the potential to grow into a company.

He mentioned that Korea, which was eight in 2018, has grown to 15 unicorn companies, and as long as it is a realistic expectation that the birth of Decacon companies, Microsoft has aggressively supported this goal in the future. He added that he would not stop.

Introduction to Microsoft Launcher

The meeting ended with the description of 'Microsoft Launcher', which was newly launched by Jung Woo-geun, Korea Microsoft Digital Native Team. Jung Woo-geun, the team leader, said, It is CSP that is responsible for the startup's IT infrastructure to get more immediate benefits from the growth of startups. We have planned the 'Microsoft Launcher' with the intention of doing it.

Microsoft Launcher, Microsoft's domestic startup support program, is aimed at all companies, from startups in the IDIT stage to product construction and startups at the expansion stage. Basically, Microsoft Launcher is the one that adds specialized services in the fields that domestic startups are worried about in Founders Hub, a global support program offered to startups.

According to the team leader, Microsoft Launcher generally provides a variety of services to directly and indirectly support the costs, talent, investment attraction, and growth of startups. In terms of cost, the company plans to support cloud, license costs and business spaces.

Cloud costs are provided in the form of a total of $ 150,000 in credit (about 200 million won), and can be provided differently depending on the stage of the startup. In addition, it provides free licenses for various tools of Microsoft such as Microsoft 365 and Visual Studio, and shared business spaces located in Seoul and Busan will be free for up to 6 months for more than 10 startups selected. It is a policy.

Startups' concerns about attracting investment are supported by providing opportunities to pitch to Microsoft's in-house venture capital. It will be selected periodically to provide IR pitching time, and the recruitment of talent will be provided with various support such as developer job support and recruitment fee exemption through MOU with Supercoder. Technical support is linked with Microsoft's partner companies to provide cloud credits as well as architecture advice and technical support.

The approval requirement for Microsoft Launcher is aimed at startups with software-based products or service development at the heart of business, and can be applied only to series A-C. Educational institutions, government agencies, personal blogs and outsourcing developers, consulting firms, agencies, or virtual waste mining companies. In addition, companies that benefit from past startup support programs such as Microsoft for Startups are not supported.

In order to apply for participation in Microsoft Launcher, a global program, Founders Hub application, must be preceded, and after applying for the detailed guide, a partner must be selected to receive the benefits related to the microsoft launcher. After submitting additional information on the partner registration page, you can receive the results of the application.

Jung Woo-geun, the team leader, said, The launcher means 'launch pad', so we plan to support various support so that startups can ride the rocket. I finished the announcement.