Accelerate Your Business !

Accelerate your Business with Microsoft

Accelerate your Business is a Microsoft competition to support Egyptian startups to succeed and grow their business. This competition focus on 4 main technology tracks as below:

1-    IOT

-       Azure IOT Suite

2-    Client Development

-       Azure-Backed Xamarin Applications (Xamarin.Android and Xamarin.iOS)

3-    Open Source Web Development (PHP/Node.js)

-       Azure Web Apps (Azure App Service)

4-    Bot Framework

-       Azure-Backed Bots using Azure Cognitive Services especially Language Understanding Intelligent Service API.

How to participate:

-       Be actively engaged in development of a software-based product or service that will form a core piece of your current or intended business - this software must be owned, not licensed, by the Startup.

-       A Privately-owned startup

-       Be in business for less than 5 years

-       Be a BizSpark member, if you are not, you can apply through BizSpark program for startups and notify staregy@microsoft.com with your submission

-       Focus on one of the above four technology tracks and your solution to be hosted on Microsoft Azure

Judging Criteria:

1-    Innovation: The idea of the project must be original, new or an advancement to any of the solutions readily available in the marketplace or industry.

2-    Solving a real problem: The project has to offer a real solution for an existing need or problem in the society; traffic, healthcare, education, etc.

3-    Running on Azure: Solution have to be hosted on Microsoft Azure, you can get free Microsoft Azure cloud services through BizSpark program for startups

Judging criteria for the solution itself:

Timeline:

TERMS & CONDITIONS

In these rules “Microsoft”, “we”, “our”, and “us” refer to Microsoft Egypt a Limited Liability Company, the Sponsor of the Competition. “You”, “yourself” refers to an eligible Competition entrant.

AGREEMENT: In order to enter the contest, you must agree to these Official Rules (“Rules”). Therefore, please read these Rules prior to entry to ensure you understand and agree.

Entry in the contest constitutes your acceptance of these official rules.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible to enter the contest, you must be above the age of 18 (Eighteen) and a resident in Egypt at the time of entry. If you have not reached the age of seniority under the Egyptian law (21 years), the consent of your legal guardian is required to be eligible for entry. Contest is void in all countries except Egypt. Employees, interns, contractors, and official office-holders of Microsoft and their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, advertising and promotion agencies, representatives, agents, and Judges are ineligible to participate in this contest. Microsoft reserves the right to verify eligibility and to adjudicate on any dispute at any time. If you are entering as part of a company or on behalf of your employer, these rules are binding on you, individually, and/or your employer. If you are acting within the scope of your employment, as an employee, contractor, or agent of another party, you warrant that such party has full knowledge of your actions and has consented thereto, including your potential receipt of a prize. You further warrant that your actions do not violate your employers or company’s policies and procedures.

SELECTION OF WINNERS:  Contest will start on 7^th  of Feb, 2017 till 9^th of March 2017 for all Eligible Entries and winners will be selected by a panel of Microsoft employees and partners

PRIVACY: Microsoft’s Privacy Policy available at https://www.microsoft.com/privacy will apply to this Competition and to all information that we receive from your entry. Entrants agree that personal data entered during the registration, including name, mailing address, phone number, and email address may be processed, stored, shared and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the contest. Entrants also understand this data may be used by Microsoft in order to verify an entrant’s identity, address and telephone number in the event an entry qualifies for a prize.

By accepting a prize, Entrant agrees and consents to Microsoft and their agencies use of entrant’s place of residence, name, and/or likeness to name the entrant for a reasonable time after completion of the contest in promotional and advertising material of Microsoft (or its agents) as a winner of the contest without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

PUBLICITY. By accepting a prize, entrant agrees to Microsoft and its agencies use of his or her name and/or likeness for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

INDEMNIFICATION: To the maximum extent permitted by law, each entrant indemnifies and agrees to keep indemnified Microsoft entities at all times from and against any liability, claims, demands, losses, damages, costs and expenses resulting from any act, default or omission of the entrant and/or a breach of any warranty set forth herein. To the maximum extent permitted by law, each entrant agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Microsoft entities from and against any and all claims, actions, suits or proceedings, as well as any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or accruing from (a) any App or other material uploaded or otherwise provided by the entrant that infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, trade dress, patent or other intellectual property right of any person or defames any person or violates their rights of publicity or privacy, (b) any misrepresentation made by the entrant in connection with the contest; (c) any non-compliance by the entrant with these Rules; (d) claims brought by persons or entities other than the parties to these Rules arising from or related to the entrant’s involvement with the contest; (e) acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in any contest -related activity or participation in this contest; (f) any malfunction or other problem with the contest Site; (g) any error in the collection, processing, or retention of entry information; or (h) any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any prize or winners.

GOVERNING LAW: The contest is governed by the laws of Egypt and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Cairo courts for any disputes arising out of this contest.

ELIMINATION: Any false information provided within the context of the contest by any entrant concerning identity, address, telephone number, email address, ownership of right or non-compliance with these Rules or the like may result in the immediate elimination of the entrant from the contest.

RIGHT TO CANCEL, MODIFY OR DISQUALIFY: If for any reason the contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the contest, Microsoft reserve the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. Sponsors further reserve the right to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the submission process or any other part of the contest. Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any web site, including the or undermine the legitimate operation of the contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Microsoft reserves the right to seek damages from any such entrant to the fullest extent of the applicable law.

NOT AN OFFER OR CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT: Under no circumstances shall the submission of the certificate to the contest, the awarding of a prize, or anything in these Rules be construed as an offer or contract of employment with Microsoft. You acknowledge that you have submitted your certificate voluntarily and not in confidence or in trust. You acknowledge that no confidential, fiduciary, agency or other relationship or implied-in-fact contract now exists between you and Microsoft and that no such relationship is established by your submission of the certificate under these Rules.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Each entrant has the responsibility to review and understand its policies regarding its eligibility to participate in this contest. If an individual is participating in violation of Entrant's policies or any applicable law or regulation, that Entrant may be disqualified from this contest at the Organizer’s sole discretion.

THE PRIZES:

90,000 EGP for each of 5 winning teams

Microsoft Egypt reserves the right to substitute the Prizes for other prizes of equal or greater value.

• Microsoft Egypt will not be liable for any corrupted prize once the prize has been given to the winner.
• The winner must present the National ID and guardian’s consent if a minor.
• Microsoft reserves the right to delay the submission of the prize
• Cash prize will be paid within one month from competition end date

WINNER LIST:

The winner will be announced during the pitching day on 9^th of March and on Microsoft Developer Facebook page , TIEC website and EgyptInnovate Platform

DURATION OF COMPETITION:

• CONTEST PERIOD: The contest begins on 7^th of Feb, 2017 and ends on 9^th of March 2017  (“Contest Period”).  Entries must be received within the contest Period to be eligible.

OTHER: 

• No correspondence will be entered into regarding either this contest or these Terms and Conditions.
• In the unlikely event of a dispute, Microsoft Egypt decision shall be final.
• Microsoft Egypt reserves the right to amend, modify, cancel or withdraw this contest at any time without notice.
• Microsoft Egypt cannot guarantee the performance of any third party and shall not be liable for any act or default by a third party.
• Participants in this contest agree that Microsoft Egypt will have no liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, costs, damage or disappointment of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly from acceptance, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in this contest.
• Microsoft reserves the right to disqualify any participant that does not adhere to the terms and conditions or make any change to the terms and conditions at any point of the contest.