Jumpstart has a toll free number.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Microsoft Ventures, a subsidiary of Microsoft that exists to develop IT startups in India, has announced the creation of JumpStart, a hotline that people in India can call for free help on how to start their own businesses.
Microsoft Ventures unveiled that the number for the hotline is 1-800-200-2114, is toll-free across all of India, and will be available during business hours of 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday, Indian Standard Time, in a press release. The people manning the phones will answer queries in both English and Hindi, and are “dedicated professionals who have been trained by Microsoft to answer business and technical queries.”
“Microsoft Ventures supports startups at every stage of maturity by providing them with the tools, resources and expertise they need to succeed,” said Joseph Landes, the General Manager, Developer & Platform Evangelism for Microsoft India. “Our experience has shown that a major pain point for startups across the ecosystem in India, irrespective of their stage of maturity, is the lack of real-time support for various critical queries they face. JumpStart fills a major gap and ensures that startups get professional advice that enables them to make smart business decisions.”
Landes also stated that calls on the JumpStart hotline would be monitored, and that feedback generated by these calls would allow Microsoft Ventures to “fine tune” its various Indian programs, including the India Accelerator, so that they become more effective to their clients.
“Sometimes answering even simple questions about how to get started or which service provider to contact can really help startups avoid delays and cost overruns,” said Kattayil Rajinish Menon, the director of Microsoft Ventures. “While JumpStart cannot promise the success of a startup’s business, it can definitely help by educating entrepreneurs how to get started quickly by providing information on the vast resources available today.”
Microsoft Ventures was launched last year, as part of an effort by the software giant to foster IT startups on the Indian subcontinent. Over the past few years, larger IT firms have seen that the best way to expand is to absorb smaller IT firms in highly sought-after markets. India is arguably the most sought-after market for IT developers, with a rapidly growing middle class, and more citizens using mobile devices and the Internet.