We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Oxbridge-AIx lead by Udai Dhamija and Francisco Morejón, and supporting their flagship pitch competition Oxbridge AI Challenge. As the Platinum Sponsor this year, Microsoft is excited to continue our collaboration with OxbridgeAI and the Microsoft for Startups Team, which has been instrumental in driving the success of our initiatives. Together, we aim to inspire and encourage entrepreneurship within the AI space, creating a collaborative, supportive, and inclusive community of entrepreneurs and problem solvers working on pressing global issues. This partnership provides a platform and exposure for leading AI entrepreneurs from Oxford and Cambridge to showcase themselves on the world stage. Beyond this, we will provide participants with access to up to $150,000 of Azure Cloud credits that they can use to access leading generative AI models including GPT-4.0 and Llama 2 from Meta.
- Access to Cutting-Edge Technology: With this offer participants can access the most comprehensive set of generative AI models through Azure AI Studio on a safe and secure cloud. Participants will have the unique opportunity to leverage Microsoft’s advanced AI tools and platforms.
- Exclusive Mentorship: Through Microsoft’s Founders Hub participants can access over a 1,000Microsoft’s experts across sales, marketing and engineering will offer guidance, ensuring that our participants receive top-notch support and insights.
- Enhanced Networking: This collaboration will open doors to invaluable connections within the tech industry, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and collaboration
Last year our collaboration with OxbridgeAIx created some exciting opportunities for participating teams. For example, our support of JRE and Adalat.ai, two of the finalists from last year’s Oxbridge AI Challenge led to their inclusion in Microsoft Imagine Cup. Often referred to as the “Olympics of technology,” the Imagine Cup is the premier global technology competition that which enables student entrepreneurs using the Microsoft cloud to turn innovative ideas into market-ready startups. Participants are eligible to compete for the grand prize of USD100,000 and a mentorship session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella. Throughout the competition, participants gain access to networking opportunities, global recognition and expert coaching along the way to accelerate their startup. JRE placed as one of the top three finalists in the 2024 competition.
“We had an amazing time, and got a lot of clarity, connections, and feedback that changed and accelerated our product and company exponentially. Udai and Francisco are genuinely hidden gems that deserve all the praise in the world. So happy to have connected with them.” -Akshat Saraf, Co-founder at JRE.
Many startups joined Microsoft for Startups after the Oxbridge AI Challenge, like Rootd, who shared that:
“Microsoft for Startups and their Azure Sponsorship credits have been crucial in bootstrapping the Rootd platform. Within a few months we have been able to deploy our full stack on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and a first beta version of our platform. Azure Open AI has been critical for our R&D work and we are currently exploring Azure AI Studio to develop advanced features. The Microsoft team has also been consistently helpful and supportive in our journey, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with them in the months to come.”-CEO Madeleine Hahne, Co-founder Annabel Collinson and CTO Cherian Mathew.
Applications for the challenge are open with the deadline for submission landing in October and finals happening in early December. Click here to apply!