Startup Daily TV: Microsoft Director of Startups Emily Rich on what the tech giant looks for in companies they back

Emily Rich, director of Microsoft for Startups, APAC and partner at M8 Ventures, is on the judging panel for the Pitch Perfect virtual event this Thursday, September 30, at 4pm.

Ten local startups will pitch live for more than $200,000 worth of Microsoft Azure cloud credits and more at the event, hosted by Startup Daily and Microsoft Australia.

You’re welcome to be part of the event and watch the founders pitch before being questioned by the judging panel, which also includes John Orrock, founder and CEO, of Future Now Ventures; Lauren Capelin, principal of Startmate; and Lee Hickin, National Technology Officer at Microsoft.

To tune into the free, online Pitch Perfect event, register here.

The best part is you can have ringside seats as some of the country’s most exciting and innovative startups tell their stories.

The 10 finalists have been selected from hundreds of startups that applied to be part of the competition. The finalists are:

Compass IoT: Connected vehicle data to improve road safety
Upstreet: customer acquisition & loyalty we shares as a reward
Cache Invest: on a mission to help more people invest.
Snackr: Covid-era risk-free food delivery at major events
Single Use Aint Sexy: dissolvable hand soap tablets and reusable glass bottles
Greener: gives you personalised recommendations for more sustainable stores.
PentaQuest: a gamification app that helps executives and HR leaders create high performing organisations by increasing employee engagement.
Allegro Live: it’s like AirBnB, but for live music.
Consultmed: a user-friendly and secure referral management platform that connects primary care providers directly to specialists and hospital networks.
Spendable: a disability payments solution

To join the Pitch Perfect virtual event, hosted by Startup Daily and Microsoft Australia, register here.

Ahead of the event, Startup Daily editor Simon Thomsen spoke with Emily Rich about what she’d be looking forward at Pitch Perfect, and how Microsoft supports startups and what they look for in the ventures they back.

Hear what she had to say clicking below.