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Do you have an idea for something using Kinect? Want $20K?

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How does $20K investment to get your idea off the ground? Add in all the tools you need, and even 3 months of office space to get it done.  Yep, we have a program called The Kinect Accelerator as part of our BizSpark program. 10 Startup companies will be given the opportunity of a lifetime to build a product around Kinect.  The Deadline to apply is coming up soon January 25, 2012.  https://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/kinectaccelerator/

If you are a developer or existing team/startup focused on building a business that takes advantage of the Kinect and Natural User Interface technologies, then the Kinect Accelerator is where you need to be. Through this program, Microsoft is supporting entrepreneurs, engineers and innovators like you to bring to life a wide range of business ideas that leverage the limitless possibilities Kinect enables. Following a competitive screening process, ten finalists will be chosen for this unique three month incubation program running from March to May, 2012 in Seattle, WA. The Kinect Accelerator is “powered by TechStars” using the same mentor-driven methodology pioneered and proven in New York, Boulder, Seattle and Boston. Mentors for the Kinect Accelerator include a broad base of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in the industry as well as executives from Microsoft Studios, Xbox, Microsoft Research and other Microsoft organizations.

What the program offers:
Every company participating in the Kinect Accelerator will receive an investment of $20,000, an Xbox development kit, the Windows Kinect SDK, office space, all the resources of BizSpark, technical training and support, and mentorship from entrepreneurs, investors and Microsoft executives intensely focused on making their business a success. At the end of the program, each company will have an opportunity to present at an Investor Demo Day to angel investors, venture capitalists, Microsoft executives, media and industry influentials.

What qualifies for the Kinect Accelerator?

  • Any Kinect-enabled application on Windows or Xbox that can be a commercial business
  • Manufacturing to retail, education to healthcare, art installations to gaming, social to interactive play…hmmm, the possibilities
  • Can be cloud-hosted, on any platform, but needs to be an application
  • Could be one view of an application that may also have a web UI, mobile UI, etc
  • Kinect-controlled applications, like what you have on your phone, but on a big screen or a computer screen
  • Content you might expect to consume in your living room or in an operating room
  • Go ahead, surprise us!

Your company does not necessarily need experience developing with Kinect, but the business concept does need to leverage Kinect capabilities as part of the final offering. Your team must also be willing to develop the technical skills required to bring your solution to a functioning prototype.

How to apply:
Applications to the Kinect Accelerator are now open! Applicants must be prepared to relocate to Seattle, Washington for the duration of the program. The application deadline is January 25th, 2012. Get your applications in early for additional consideration.