Microsoft Launches Pegasus Program For Startups, Awarding Up to $350,000 in Credits
Microsoft has announced a new incubator program, the Pegasus Program, to extend the resources available through its existing self-service platform for founders, the Startup Founders Hub.
The Pegasus Program aims to select start-ups that fill a market need and provide them with Azure, GitHub, and LinkedIn credits worth up to $350,000, along with access to Microsoft advisors and tech.
The program is designed to help start-ups with early product-market fit, including revenue traction and a proven go-to-market model.
To be eligible for Pegasus, start-ups must already be active in Microsoft’s Founders Hub and have customer-facing products built on the Microsoft Cloud.
The Pegasus Program is a two-year initiative that assigns a vertical lead to each selected start-up to generate sales opportunities and act as an advisor.
Additionally, each start-up will receive a success manager to help them go to market, and a dedicated cloud solution architect to support their technical success.
Start-ups in industries like healthcare, AI, retail, and cybersecurity are of particular interest, and Microsoft expressed enthusiasm for generative AI, which it sees as a significant opportunity for start-ups.
While Pegasus favors start-ups built with Azure tech, they are free to use multiple clouds, including Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services, as long as they meet customers’ needs.