4 startups win Microsoft’s first APAC Emerge X pitch battle

Microsoft has named the four startups that won its inaugural Microsoft Emerge X pitch competition in Asia Pacific.

Part of the company’s “Highway to a 100 Unicorns” initiative, Microsoft said it selected 79 startups from the region to participate in the Emerge X program. It looks for and nurtures high potential technology startups in emerging markets.

As part of the program, they are set to participate in a year-long mentorship program with Microsoft for Startups, which is designed to help companies scale and accelerate their growth.

Of these companies, 21 startups pitched their ideas at the Emerge X Regional Pitching Competition held at the Philippine Startup Week 2020. The top four startups are now set to share their founding stories during Microsoft’s Highway to a 100 Unicorns Regional APAC Event, which will be held during Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology (SWITCH) 2020 on 9 December.

The winners of Emerge X pitch battle are the following:

• Abivin (Vietnam), an AI-powered platform that optimizes supply chains across multiple sectors by solving the vehicle routing problem.
• Lifetrack Medical Systems(Philippines and Singapore), a cloud-based platform that provides affordable access to medical imaging in emerging markets.
• Agrithimics (Sri Lanka), a cloud-based solution that enriches the agri-industry by digitizing the farm to factory supply chain and connecting farmers and buyers.
• Milky Way AI(Singapore), an AI-powered smart retail solution leveraging image recognition technology to help retailers manage shelf inventory and maximize sales.

“Culminating at SWITCH after its mentorship program and pitching competition, we see great synergies in bringing together the region’s most innovative and ambitious startups to network with our diverse line-up of speakers and participants.”

Emerge X was initially launched in India, where the US tech titan chose 56 startups and awarded them with global market access support, mentorship, and access to funding, among others.

For Southeast Asia, Microsoft said it worked with more than 70 prominent startup ecosystem players and governments across 16 countries. These include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.