- “AIS The StartUp” titled as the first official partner of Microsoft for Startups in Thailand
- Alliance to equip Thai startups with technologies, find market opportunities alongside co-marketing with Microsoft and AIS
- Groom and grow startups by jointly expanding their abilities and enabling them to make crucial contributions towards rehabilitation of the Thai economy
Bangkok – 10 August 2021 – Microsoft (Thailand) has announced a partnership with Advanced Info Services Public Company Limited (AIS), a leading telecommunication and digital life service provider, naming the company as the first and only official partner currently in Thailand to enhance and unleash the potential of Thai startups in the “AIS x Microsoft for Startups” project. Participating startups will be provided an opportunity to access necessary technological tools, guidance from experts, key insights and customer and partner connections to boost their business growth.
Mr. Dhanawat Suthumpun, Managing Director of Microsoft Thailand, said, “With every person and every organization going through changes and uncertainty during these times, we see a growing demand to utilize and optimize technology in transforming businesses and organizations for survival and growth. Our partnership with AIS aims to incorporate Startups into the mission to recover the digital economy together. Enabling startups to access technological resources and addressing their customer needs directly with our support will help all of us accomplish our goals in overcoming challenges, driving businesses forward, and fostering growth for Thailand’s digital economy. With AIS and Microsoft brought together, we believe that we can help unlocking the full potential of local startups to empower Thais and Thai businesses to stay resilient and ready to move forward in the future.”
Mr. Sanjay Andrew Thomas, Chief Information Officer, AIS, said, “From a big-picture perspective, the country as a whole – including both the public and private sectors – can be driven forward by having modern, effective business models that address pain points precisely through digital tools and innovations – both of which feature heavily in the startup landscape. Over the past 10 years, AIS has been the first telecommunications operator in Thailand with a vision to support and provide opportunities to Thai startups, and it has been proven to a certain extent that ideas from startups are key to innovating new services that undoubtedly accommodate people’s lifestyles.”
“At AIS, our standpoint in working together with startups is to establish Digital Partnerships that readily support them, harnessing internal resources from technological platforms, knowledge, and AIS and Singtel’s customer base of over 750 million users worldwide alongside connections with external partners and investors to foster sustainable growth. We are honored to be trusted by our global partner Microsoft, who serves as a strategic partner that not only supports the industrial sector but also strengthens startups’ IT infrastructure capabilities through AIS x Microsoft for Startups – enabling them to compete sustainably in the ever-changing market.”
Startups participating in “AIS x Microsoft for Startups” will be equipped with technological resources, access to startup communities, advice from experts on go-to-market preparations, and other opportunities – including:
- Innovate on the most trusted cloud and the best infrastructure: Leverage Azure’s built-in security and the broadest certifications portfolio in the industry, and connect through the most reliable Fibre & 5G networks by AIS
- Get ready to sell into enterprises, corporates, and SMEs: Engage over 100 incentivized Microsoft & AIS sellers and hundreds of channel partners to sell startups’ solutions into Thailand’s top companies
- Use any development tool and any language: Easily connect applications, data, and devices, taking advantage of over 150 out-of-the-box Azure Logic Apps connectors for Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Twitter, Dropbox, and more
- Connect with Thai startup community: Connect and learn from other startups, developers, and engineers in Microsoft for Startups, AIS The StartUp, and ISV communities.
In addition, the collaboration between AIS and Microsoft is aimed at helping Startups unlock their full potential to achieve their goals to ultimate growth in all dimensions, including:
- Speed: Through the strong partnership, startup in “AIS x Microsoft for Startups” will be working with the APAC team, reducing steps required and facilitating quicker access to Microsoft services with AIS as the only local certified partner in Thailand. Startups can also make use of AIS’ special network infrastructure with improved performance.
- Savings: Startups will be given privileges to utilize products and services to improve their performance at special, reasonable prices, while they can leverage Microsoft Azure cloud services and other tools – including Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 – free of charge.
- Solutions: Participants can capitalize on additional solutions without any additional charge, including Microsoft Azure cloud services, development tools, Visual Studio Enterprise, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365 for Sales, all of which will enhance their operations and accelerate their revenue towards stable growth.
- Sales and marketing: The ultimate goal of Startups is to grow their sales. They will be able to reach their customers directly through various channels with assistance from AIS and Microsoft’s sales team, who will give them full support. The channels include telesales, product offerings to partners and a marketplace where they can reach plenty of potential investors.
The project will enable startups to use Azure to build on open-source technologies as well as any and all languages and frameworks along with full security from the ground up. They can also request 1:1 consultation from Microsoft experts regarding business development and marketing opportunities in Thailand. When the solution is complete, they can launch their products through Microsoft’s Commercial Marketplace, which is a key tool to help them sell into enterprises as well as a dynamic sales and marketing channel to access new markets, customer segments, a sizable Microsoft cloud user base to generate sales.
For more information on AIS x Microsoft for Startups, please register at https://thestartup.ais.co.th/register