Maria 01, the leading startup campus in Northern Europe based in Helsinki, Finland, today announced its collaboration with Microsoft to boost and support the Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact program. The program aims to support and accelerate the growth of early-stage companies that are working to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems in areas such as sustainability, healthcare, and education. The program is built along the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals of Quality Education (SDG 4); Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8); Climate Action (SDG 13); and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).
The Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact program is part of Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub. The Hub offers a range of support and resources to participating companies. It helps remove traditional barriers to building a company with free access to technology, coaching, and support you need to hit your next milestone. The program provides access to technology and tools such as:
- Microsoft Azure credits (up to worth $150’000 for four years)
- Access to free Microsoft Visual Studio and GitHub Enterprise
- Microsoft 365 licenses, including Microsoft Teams to run your business.
- Free Microsoft Dynamics365 and Power Platform licenses
- 24×7 technical support
- Access to a rich mentor community
In addition to the rich offering of the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, the Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact Program offers exclusive opportunities to connect with other social entrepreneurs around the world, via regular regional and global summits, workshops, and other events throughout the year. Participants can also get technical help and advice on how to leverage Microsoft’s global sales engines.
“We are thrilled to be working with Microsoft on this exciting new incubator program.” “Maria 01 has a strong track record of supporting early-stage companies and we believe that this partnership will enable us to have an even greater impact on the start-up ecosystem in Finland and beyond.”
Ville Simola, CEO of Maria 01
“Microsoft’s collaboration with Maria 01 supports the next generation of entrepreneurs committed to using their skills and expertise in making the world a better place for us all”, says Janne Sipilä, Sustainability Lead of Microsoft Finland. “At Microsoft, we believe that technology drives positive change in society, and we are committed to fostering a culture of innovation and social responsibility. With Maria 01 we can now effectively support the early-stage start-ups driving true impact in society”.
Maria 01 will demonstrate the power of its collaboration with Microsoft at an event on 16 February on the Maria 01 Campus in Helsinki. At the event, the first startups will also be sharing their exciting stories. Read more and register for the event here.
If your startup is sharing the same Sustainability Development Goals as Microsoft, get in touch with Mika or Van: Mika.Hamalainen@microsoft.com and van.le@microsoft.com
