Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub
Purpose and objectives for remote work
Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a digital platform that provides tailored resources, support and benefits to assist new businesses at any digital maturity level, with no funding requirements. The program is for Startups in any business field that plan to incorporate some digital tools as a part of their business processes.
Businesses that are eligible to join the Hub receive up to $150,000 worth of MS Azure credits, along with access to MS development and productivity tools and services such as Open AI, Github, Studios, Dynamics 365 and other third-party offers. Besides, companies can receive mentorship and technical guidance from the MS expert network.
In upcoming chapters, you will find detailed information about each product and service offered by MS for Startups Founders Hub.
Benefits for applicants doing business remotely
- Incorporate AI into your product or service using OpenAI products such as Chat-GPT4, DALL-E and others.
- Use one integrated environment, MS Azure, to store your company data and explore the selection of over 200 cloud computing solutions to various business needs.
- Collaborate with colleagues in IT product and service development projects and use the wide range of IT solution libraries for your benefit in GitHub enterprise.
- Develop, test, debug, and deploy your software and programs in Visual Studio Enterprise with MS AI features, one of the most comprehensive Integrated Development Environments for .NET and C++ developers.
- Empower everyone in your organisation to develop solutions with low-code tools such as interactive dashboards with Key Performance Indicators or automate processes using Power Automate.
- Manage business operations by integrating Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management and other applications offered by MS Dynamics 365.
- Enhance productivity and collaboration by using communication tools such as MS Teams or Skype, and by using everyday common tools such as MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
For the overview of the benefits of MS for Startups Founders Hub, please, see the table below.
Support and benefits from Microsoft family of products and services
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Benefit
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Level 1: Ideate
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Level 2: Develop
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Level 3: Grow
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Level 4: Scale
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Azure credits
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$1k/1 year
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$5k / 1 year (Additional $4k +1 year for those who go from level to level 2)
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$25k/ 1 year (Additional $20k + 1 year for those who go from level 2 to level 3)
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$150 k/ 2 years (when entering at L4)( Additional 125k + 1 year for those who go from level 3 o level 4)
|
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Azure Standard Support
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Access to 24/7 Azure Global Support
|
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MS 365 Business Standard
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10 seats / 1 year
|
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GitHub Enterprise
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20 seats / 1 year
|
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PowerBI Pro
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10 seats / 1 year
|
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Visual Studio Enterprise
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5 seats, until the time in Founders Hub ends
|
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Visual Studio Code
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Free download
|
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Developer Tools and Prototyping
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Free access to OpenAI team. $2,500 worth of OpenAI credits
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$3,000 in credits
|
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3 months free subscription, additional 25% discount for next 3 months
|
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Unlimited seats for 1 year ($20,000 value)
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Up to $5,000 credits / 1 year
|
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Fundraising and Investment Readiness
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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50% discount on Swoop’s Fundraising Package (1 year at a value of $1,250)
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60% discount on full EBHC Funding Menu service (1 year at a value of $3,300)
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30% discount on Forcastr Launch Plan (1 year at a value of $2,800)
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Free 1 year subscription for Startups of less than 30 Stakeholders. Startups with over 30 stakeholders receive a 70% discount for the first year.
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Free 3-month subscription (valued at $100)
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Free 1 year access to Ansarad’s board portal and curated startup deal room
|
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Business Tools
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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55% discount on 1-year subscription (valued at $6,950)
|
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15% discount on global freelance services up to %25,000, valued at $4,500 for 12 months
|
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$25,000 in fee-free payment processing. 50% discount on incorporation fee worth $250.
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$750 cash when you deposit $50,000 within 90 days of approval. Free checking and savings accounts, ACH transfers, domestic and international wires, and more (up to $30,000 in value).
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Access to Miro Team offer or Growth offer
|
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Application process
To join MS for Startups Founders Hub, all applicants have to meet the selection criteria:
- Your startup must be engaged in the development of a software-based product or service that will be a core part of your current or intended business – this software must be owned, not licensed by another party.
- Your startup has received fewer than $10,000 in free Azure credits.
- Your headquarters is in one of the countries covered by Azure.
- Your startup has not gone through a Series D or later funding round.
- Your startup must be privately held.
- Your startup must be a for-profit business.
- Your startup is not an educational institution, government entity, personal blog, dev shop, consultancy, agency, bitcoin, or cryptomining company.
To apply for the Hub, you first need to have a LinkedIn account which you can sign up for here. If you have linked in your profile, then the sign-up for the Founders Hub for startup can be done here.
After application, it takes up to 5 working days to receive acceptance or non-acceptance for the Hub.
In case of admission to the MS for Startups Founders Hub, you can select one of the four categories- Ideate, Develop, Grow, or Scale (see picture below).
For a detailed view of the application process and Hubs portal, please, see this YouTube video.
With the platform, startups can build their businesses at their own pace with up to $150,000 of Microsoft Azure. As usage increases, founders can unlock additional credits over time. For instance, if a founder is in the “Ideate” stage and is developing a prototype we will provide $1,000 for one year. If the startup utilises those credits in a few months, they can request more from within the platform and we will move them up to the “Develop” stage at $5,000 for one year.
For more information about the program, application process, and benefits go to the MS for Startups Support Center
Microsoft Azure Cloud Platform
Products of Azure Cloud Services
MS Azure is an industry leading cloud computation platform, which has over 200 products and services in Computing services, Storage services, analytics and big data, Internet of Things (IoT), AI and machine learning, networking and others.
Purpose and objective for remote work
- Enabling users to build, run, and manage applications across multiple clouds, on-premises, and at the edge, with the tools and frameworks of choice.
- Providing one connected ecosystem of diverse service and product offerings for the digital needs of users.
- Ensuring availability of services that enable processes automatization, integration, productivity, scalability, security, and global reach.
- Providing cutting-edge technologies for resource and cost optimization.
Opportunities and benefits
- Storing and managing all data in one place (Azure cloud).
- Building applications by using DevOps tools.
- Using advanced tools such as AI&ML, IoT, BI and big data analytics.
- Ensuring the highest data security by encryption, threat detection and access management.
- Ensuring server and data availability at all times.
- Not needing upfront costs to buy hardware and make own company server and database infrastructure
To see the full list of MS Azure products and services, please, go to the Azure products web page.
Accessibility, costs and timing
The Founders Hub program offers from 1,000 to 150 thousand dollars’ worth of credits for usage of Azure services for a maximum of 4 years. The amount of Azure credit depends on the assigned startup development stage (Described in 1.1.1.). If your startup is in level 1, then you can get $1,000 worth of credits, in level 2, an additional $4,000 worth of credits, in level 3, an additional $20,000 worth of credits, and in level 4, an additional $100,000 worth of credits.
The credits can be used in any of the Azure cloud products and services. Azure follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model where users are only charged for the resources consumed. To see the prices of Azure products and services, please, visit the Azure product pricing web page. To see the costs and billing details, log into the Azure Sponsorship Portal.
To learn more about the frequently used terms in cloud computing, visit the cloud computing term site. For theoretical and practical knowledge about MS Azure, check out the MS Learn platform Azure learning path site. There you can select specific learning paths or modules ranging from 25 minutes worth of material up to several weeks of video lectures, articles and tasks.
If there is a need for support, please, visit the Azure support site, where you can find more information about. Information about Azure If you have a specific question about your problem, then it is possible to request support through your Azure profile, on the left side menu, bottom of the list there is a Help + support option.
For more information visit the Azure webpage.
Microsoft CoPilot for Microsoft 365
What is Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365
The MS Copilot for MS 365 is an advanced AI tool for enhancing productivity and creativity across the MS suite of applications and services. The copilot uses large language models (LLMs) from ChatGPT with your data to assist you through various MS applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and more.
Currently, there are two types of MS copilot- Web-based Copilot and Copilot for MS 365. The major differences between the two can be seen in the picture below.
The Web-based Copilot can be used for free but it has limited usability. The best feature of it is the chat feature, where it will answer asked questions. This feature is based on ChatGPT Language learning models and encompasses similar features to it. The copilot can provide information about all kinds of topics that can be found on the surface web and does not violate its terms and conditions. Below in the picture, you can find the user interface of the copilot and examples of its use case.
Opportunities and benefits
The features and benefits of a Web-based MS Copilot:
- Information retrieval from a database and the web – quick to find answers to questions;
- Communication in different languages – answers to your questions and tasks can be done in your preferred language;
- Generation of content – copilot can generate stories, songs, essays, codes, jokes, summaries, reviews, explanations and more;
- Writing assistance – improve user writing and give suggestions for better text;
- Error identification and rectification – save users time by correcting text errors;
- Image understanding – analyze and understand a picture and give relevant response.
MS Copilot for MS 365 has the potential to revolutionize the way work online is being done, by eliminating small, repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This copilot version includes all the benefits of Web-based MS Copilot plus many more:
- Enhanced productivity as the copilot for MS 365 can be linked with various MS applications and services (see picture below).
- Provides intelligent solutions such as Excel reports, presentations based on the text that is provided, summaries of documents and more.
- Copilot adheres to privacy, compliance and enterprise-grade security standards to make sure that the data of the company is safe and not used for third-party interests.
Benefits of copilot for Word documents:
- Based on the information that is given to the copilot (Prompts), it can create first drafts of the paper, and suggest new ideas and directions.
- The copilot can transform texts into tables and vice-versa.
- The copilot can search for additional details that are necessary for the documents.
- Create a summary of the documents.
Benefits of copilot for PowerPoint:
- Based on the prompts given, the copilot can create draft slides and draft presentations.
- The copilot can generate a summary of the presentation.
- The copilot can structure and rearrange presentation and restructure slides.
- Use already existing enterprise presentation styles and templates for creating new slides and presentations.
Benefits of copilot in Excel:
- The copilot can be used for exploring and better understanding data in Excel files.
- The copilot can analyse and visualize data.
- Generation of formulas based on your data.
- The copilot can help in highlighting, filtering and sorting data.
Benefits of copilot for Outlook:
- The copilot can help with writing e-mails by giving it prompts about what the e-mail is about.
- The copilot can summarize long email conversations.
- Emails can be created by using different tones and writing styles.
Benefits of Copilot for Teams:
- The copilot can make real-time summaries of the online Teams call or meeting.
- The copilot can analyse chats and conversations.
- Use copilot to quickly access relevant information from documents, presentations, emails, calendar invites, notes and contacts.
Benefits of copilot for OneNote:
- It can summarize the selection of your notes.
- Use notes to create a to-do list, and actionable plans for events, meetings and celebrations.
Benefits of copilot for Whiteboard:
- The copilot can suggest ideas to enhance creativity and complement the existing template of the whiteboard.
- It can organize ideas and structure output so that you do not have to.
- It can summarize whiteboard outputs.
Accessibility and costs
Before you can access Copilot for Microsoft 365, you must meet the following requirements:
- Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F3, A3, A5, Business standard or Business premium licensing is a prerequisite.
- An Azure Active Directory-based account is required.
- You need to have a OneDrive account for several features within Copilot, such as saving and sharing your files. Deploy a OneDrive account.
MS has created the Copilot for MS 365 onboarding kit that is available for download on this page, which consists of sets of informational e-mails that can be sent out to employees who want to learn how to use Copilot for MS 365.
MS has made MS copilot for MS 365 documentation page, where all relevant information about the copilot can be found. Important information and answers to questions about the MS copilot for MS 365 can be found on the products overview page. To find more information about data, privacy and security please visit this page. Guidance for achieving strong data security before implementing the MS pilot can be found in the Apply principles of Zero Trust to Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 page. Information about managing MS copilot for the needs of the enterprise can found here.
Before deciding on implementing MS copilot for 365 in your enterprise we highly recommend completing free-of-charge courses and video series about the MS copilot:
- Get started with Copilot for Microsoft 365
- Discover how to successfully drive the adoption of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 in your organization
- Video series about the copilot for MS 365
- To get a better understanding of MS Copilot possibilities watch this short video.
For specific questions about the copilot, please, refer to the copilot for MS 365 community or MS documentation page.
Disclaimer
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