Bing Fund unveils first two startups enrolled in incubator
Both companies hail from Microsoft's home state of Washington and will get access to its technology assets and expertise, as well as its funding.
Less than a month after unveiling the Bing Fund, Microsoft's startup/accelerator incubation effort announced today the enrollment of its first two startups.
App development services provider Buddy and online games advertising service Pinion will get access to the software giant's technology assets and expertise, as well as its funding, the Bing Fund said today.
Buddy was founded by former Microsoft employees Dave McLauchlan and Jeff MacDuff. The Kirkland, Wash.-based company aims to reduce the amount of time mobile and Web app developers spend writing, testing, and managing server-side code. Bellevue, Wash.-based Pinion helps gaming communities generate revenue with targeted interactive advertising.
The fund, announced in July, is seeking startups focused on mobile and the Web that have "inspirational vision and the ability to execute." Since its announcement, the fund has "been hearing from people all over, both inside and outside of Microsoft, who are really excited about what we're doing," Rahul Sood, the fund's general manager, said in a blog post. "We've also heard from a large number of startups."
"Sorting through the list has been pretty tough, because there are so many talented entrepreneurs out there with great ideas," he said.
Sood didn't reveal how much funding the companies are receiving but did say "we're working hard to find the next one...and have identified some great companies in San Francisco and Boulder. "