The centre will be the company's first in the US.
Microsoft is to open its first US-based Innovation Centre at the Venture Hive Miami in Florida in June 2014. The centre will offer technology, tools and services to start-ups, governments, students, faculty and the greater Miami community, with the aim to foster innovation, collaboration and economic growth.
Although Microsoft already has more than 100 such innovation centres around the world, including India, Singapore and Uganda, it had, until now, opened none in its home country. The company however plans to open more centres across the US once the one in Miami has launched. Apart from being the location of Venture Hive, the company also chose South Florida as it is already the home of Microsoft’s Latin America headquarters, which oversees operations in 46 countries generating more than $1bn.
The new Microsoft Innovation Centre will join a startup accelerator, incubator and educational programmes already located at Venture Hive. The centre will be developed and operated in partnership with Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami and Venture Hive, and will focus on technology trainings and workshops, provide networking opportunities as well as potential talent for future job opportunities. The centre will cover an area of 5,000 square feet, with a potential expansion, and contain both tools and technologies as well as space for training and collaboration.
Already, the centre has been in discussions with Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, Miami University, and Nova Southeastern and Miami Dade College about collaborations. As a first potential project, the centre is looking at a summer program to teach 200 Miami-Dade County teachers about building apps so they could take that knowledge back to their students.
Venture Hive accepts companies that have raised no more than $500,000, and was created in 2013 with grants from Miami’s Downtown Development Authority and mayor Carlos Gimenez. It currently hosts 35 companies and over 100 entrepreneurs.
Susan Amat, founder of Venture Hive, said: “The Microsoft Innovation Centre will be a central gathering place for the tech and business community — with classes, mentoring and a full support ecosystem for both beginning developers and later stage technologists. We will have hardware for testing applications, a training area, and room for startups and support that will enhance Venture Hive’s mission of entrepreneurship education.”
