The Microsoft ScaleUp program (previously known as Microsoft Accelerator) is designed for Series A startups and offers access to sales, marketing and technical support. Eligible startups partake in the immersive program at one of our eight global locations followed by ongoing support from a dedicated team of success managers. One of the ScaleUp locations is Microsoft ScaleUp Berlin, where a dedicated team around MD Iskender Dirik twice a year support a batch of up to 10 startups with dedicated coaching, training and technical support. In this blog series we will introduce one of the participating StartUps each Tuesday.
Speexx is an award-winning provider of cloud-based, smart online language training, testing and performance support. Its user-centric, adaptive Smart Learning program uses intelligence-based algorithms to drive the learning path based on user preferences and actions, adapting the training path to the user’s needs.
The company helps large organizations worldwide drive digital transformation and productivity by empowering employee communication skills across borders. Leading brands and currently over 1,500 organizations worldwide use Speexx to learn and train smarter, delivering results on time.
The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Munich with offices in London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Sao Paulo, New York and Shanghai.
“Our biggest challenge is awareness about the huge potential of digital language training and the positive impact it has on the productivity of the workforce,” says Jochen Boekel, Vice President Global Sales.
60 seconds with Speexx
Speexx participated together with nine different Tech-Startups at the Microsoft ScaleUp Batch Week in Berlin. We have asked them some questions about the collaboration with Microsoft and their new learnings.
How are you involved with Microsoft ScaleUp?
We were impressed with the engagement and commitment of the Microsoft ScaleUp Team in supporting the ten selected growth stage software companies.
During the ScaleUp kick-off in Berlin I had the opportunity to meet the other founders and executives on the program. It was truly inspiring as it helps me understand how they – global entrepreneurs like us – tackle some of the same bumps in the road that we encounter.
What was the biggest challenge for you before the start of the program – and have you overcome it yet?
Our biggest challenge is awareness about the huge potential of digital language training and the positive impact it has on workforce productivity.
We have many customer success stories to demonstrate the positive business impact of our solutions, such as better ROI on learning and reduction in administration costs. The associated prestige of the Microsoft brand however, clearly bumps us up onto the stage where we can present this directly to the people who decide on strategic directions of digital transformation, talent management, employee development and employee engagement in their multinational organisations.”
“Associating with Microsoft impacts our strategic access to decisions makers and helps us shine a spotlight on our value proposition.”
What areas did the ScaleUp Batch Week help you the most?
My main take-away from the kick-off in Berlin was the ScaleUp Team demonstrating that out-of-the-box thinking will enable us to stay ahead of the curve. For instance, rather than focusing on rephrasing your value proposition when pitching, the team trained us how to tweak the way we present physically, applying breathing and voice techniques. I was positively surprised, and hats off for the ScaleUp team for such a courageous and original idea; it was a lot of fun.
In a nutshell: What makes the Microsoft ScaleUp special for you?
Being on the ScaleUp program implicates to think big and to scale up to Speexx’ fullest potential and beyond. The window of opportunity Microsoft opens for us through its vast network and global credibility, will land us a spot at the table with the world´s largest organizations.
What are your next steps?
We have been on an incredibly fast global growth path for the last few years. With the support of ScaleUp we are preparing to cast a wide net for dissemination of our value proposition. This program has been another piece of the puzzle to scale our business. We have initiated another round of investment, in order to double the workforce. So recruitment for us is a top priority. Our aim is to connect with talented people who want to be part of a truly global team.
This blog post is part of a series of participants of the Microsoft ScaleUp Berlin Batch March-June 2018.