Bangalore: Microsoft has announced BizSpark India Startup Challenge 2013 – a resourceful platform for young entrepreneurs and startups to showcase their innovative designs and ideas. The platform aims to identify and promote upcoming startups in India who have a promising product in the areas of connected devices and continuous services – mobility and cloud computing are two areas which are the focus of this competition.

In 2012, a virtual classroom solution for cloud computing that enables the conduct of live, HD quality, two-way audio/video interactive classes at as low as 200 Kbps speeds and a location-based mobile service that cuts out clutter and spam were named the top winners of the Microsoft BizSpark India Startup Challenge; their developers received $30,000 each to enable them take the projects forward.

The 2013 edition will be organized in 10 different cities; Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi (NCR), Hyderabad, Kolkata, mumbai, pune, that will culminate in a grand finale in Bangalore. 10 finalists, one from each region, will be shortlisted on the basis of their submissions and they will get a chance to present their business plan to a distinguished jury.

The Grand prize is $70,000 in cash and $2 million worth of non-cash prizes for regional winners and the winners at the national finale will receive Surface with Windows Pro, Surface with Windows RT and Windows Nokia 920 phone & XBOX 360. But most importantly, the challenge is an opportunity for the BizSpark Community to build and deepen connections, share ideas, network with partners and celebrate the individual successes of startups.

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