Kenya to be Part of Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Program for Women-led Startups

Kenya will be one of the nine countries that will benefit from Microsoft’s Cloud Accelerator Program that entails a 6-month training designed to help women-led companies start and build their business through Microsoft products and its cloud distribution channel. The program, which is currently running in the U.S., will be introduced in Kenya, South Africa, Canada, France, Germany, India, the UAE and the U.K. in partnership with IdeaGen and Women in Cloud.

Generally speaking, the project is geared toward offering access to the cloud, mentorship, networking communities, and resources to women-owned tech firms. The program, which was founded two years ago, was launched to pursue a community-led initiative to empower women in tech and drive growth. Microsoft says the project has since become an essential community and resource for female investors across the globe.

“Through a multi-million-dollar, multi-year investment from Microsoft, it is our goal that with this expansion and continued scaling, this program can help generate $1B in cloud opportunity by providing accessible cloud technology to more than 1,000 women-led tech companies annually, enabling them to scale their businesses for sustainable economic growth in all corners of the world,” says Charlotte Yarkoni, Corporate Vice President of Cloud + AI at Microsoft.

So far, the Cloud Accelerator has provided opportunities to 30 women-run companies and accelerated multiple startups, not to mention the development of more than $30 million of Clod pipeline at launch.

“While there remains much to do, we at Microsoft believe that we will only be able to address our toughest technology challenges when we embrace diverse perspectives. To build this diversity, it’s critical to have a varied partner ecosystem and one that actively supports women entrepreneurs,” adds Charlotte Yarkoni.