Kinect Accelerator is Open For Business!

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How exciting. Heard about one about the gamification of everything?

Xbox 360 and Kinect have changed the way we interact with games, TV, media and applications.

Personally, seeing my father-in-law (who is no ‘spring chicken’) jumping around to Kinect Sports is worth gold.

Today we announce the Microsoft Kinect Accelerator powered by TechStars and any startup worldwide can now submit an application for the Kinect Accelerator. The deadline for applications is midnight GMT on January 25, 2012. 

If accepted, companies receive an equity investment of $20,000 from TechStars in exchange for six percent common equity. While Microsoft is making senior staff available as mentors (such as Corporate Vice President Dan’l Lewin and Anoop Gupta, Distinguished Scientist, Microsoft Research) we won’t be taking equity stakes.

From March to May 2012, companies will co-locate at a facility provided by Microsoft in Seattle where they will be provisioned Xbox development kits, Kinect hardware, the Kinect for Windows SDK and space for testing and developing Kinect based applications. Startups can access a range of premium development tools and support through Microsoft BizSpark.

At the end of the program, the companies will get to present their businesses at an Investor Demo Day to Microsoft representatives, VC’s and angel investors.

Read more about the Kinect Effect.

@Claire0h

Published: 11/18/2011 3:41 PM

Tag: GEW