The Africa Transformation Office of the Microsoft Corporation, held the first episode of its Founders series yesterday (25th May 2022) at the new ultra-modern Kings Tower built by the Microsoft Corporation in Nigeria.
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The event was jointly organized by Microsoft and GetFundedAfrica, a venture service firm that helps African startups grow and scale, and featured 30 of some of the most innovative startups in Nigeria, a select number of venture capital firms as well as public sector representation from Lagos State and Ogun State.
The Microsoft Founders series is a networking event where startup Founders can interact with Microsoft and identify areas of collaboration and co-creation. The Nigerian edition is the first of the discussion series which is scheduled to hold across multiple countries in Africa.
Microsoft Leadership shows strong support
Speaking at the event, Microsoft’s Country Manager for Nigeria, Ola Williams said “Microsoft is committed to the future of Africa, and this event marks the beginning of discussions where the entire Microsoft apparatus is being put at the disposition of startups to help build a better future for all”. Emphasizing the same point, EduAbasi Chukwunweike, Microsoft’s Startup Manager for West & East Africa said, “Unlike in the past, Microsoft is more responsive to the needs of startups in Africa and we are excited about the future we will co-create”.
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Microsoft Garage
The event was held at the “Microsoft Garage”, a collaborative space in the Microsoft King’s Tower in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. According to the Head of the Microsoft Garage, Soromfe Uzomah, the Garage is equipped with things like laser printers and other equipment that can help develop locally made solutions that can be used around the world”.
Venture Capital Firms & Angels get in on the adventure
Several venture capital investors attended the event including Kakawa Investment Managers, London based ODBA VC, global VC Magic Fund and several angel investors.
GetFundedAfrica’s input
GetFundedAfrica’s Chief Commercial Officer, Tunji Oke also spoke at the event saying “GetFundedAfrica is Africa’s venture service firm and we are focused on creating solutions that enable startups to grow and scale. Today’s event is a product of the collaboration between GetFundedAfrica and Microsoft and there is a lot more to come”
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Giveaways
At the end of the event, Microsoft gave each startup in attendance engineering support, access to the Microsoft Garage, and up to $100,000 in credits for Microsoft products including Azure (Microsoft’s cloud service), Office 365 (which includes teams, Outlook, Dynamics and other Microsoft products.