Our guest contributor for today’s blog is Oguo Atuanya, General Manager, Global Scale & Services Partners.

Microsoft recognizes that small and medium-sized businesses are critical drivers of innovation and change, creating opportunities and shaping a more connected and equitable world. That is why we have a long-standing commitment to helping our small and medium-sized partners grow and innovate. The Microsoft Black Partner Growth Initiative (BPGI) is central to that commitment and stands as an example of our journey towards our mission. The unique lived experiences of our partners have influenced BPGI; their achievements, the acknowledgement of unseen opportunities, and their desire to create a more equitable future inspire our work and fuel our investment.

Through BPGI, Black-owned tech companies drive their organizations forward with tools and resources designed to help them achieve more. Along with providing resources, one of the significant focuses of BPGI is to amplify partner stories, which celebrate partners’ successes and are an essential part of our growth and innovation story.  Stories from partners like Jasson Walker, President of cFocus Software, a company that provides IT services for federal government agencies. Jasson became a Microsoft-certified supplier and was able to bid on a $100M contract from opportunities he found out about through connections developed in BPGI. Or Sequoia Ramsey, President of Realistic Computing, Inc, an IT support services company. Sequoia has appreciated the access to support and other resources through BPGI, allowing her to expand her business. These stories are important to share, not just during Black History Month but at every opportunity.

Supporting partner stories

BPGI helps further enable partner successes like these by providing critical connection points and resources that promote opportunity. Moreover, BPGI fosters a community of tech and business innovators through dedicated support, collaboration, and enablement of our partner-led organizations, along with the opportunity to participate in special programs designed to elevate our partners on their path to success.

One such program is the Catalyst Accelerator program. BPGI, in partnership with the Black Channel Partner Alliance (BCPA) and AppMeetup, has created the next version of the Accelerator program to empower Black-owned tech companies by providing access to deeper engagement, information and resources that build and scale your business within the Microsoft partner ecosystem. Through the process of ongoing feedback and engagement from the community, we’ve turned our focus toward expediting building and selling support to strengthen partner engagement and success with focused programming. We created the Accelerator program to advance the goals and success of participating and thriving partners.

The upcoming Spring FY23 Accelerator Program cohort follows a successful FY22 Accelerator that saw a select group of partners from across the United States come together to collaborate, innovate, and share their stories and ideas to improve their businesses and the industry. Collaborative learning and partner-to-partner (P2P) networking were significant focuses of the previous Accelerator. As an example of this, four BPGI partners met in the last Accelerator and developed a collaborative, Information Technology Partners (ITP), to go after new business opportunities collectively. We were inspired by the contributions of the varied participants, who shared their stories, executed their business growth ideas, and focused on their vision for the future. 

The next Accelerator program cohort

For Black-owned tech companies ready to take their organizations to the next level, the next Accelerator program is just around the corner. The Catalyst Accelerator focuses on a limited number of partners across two months. It is an opportunity to supercharge your growth by connecting you, as tech CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs, with a broad range of resources, including personalized one-to-one engagement to help you develop a customized growth roadmap.

Along with access to the resources available to partners enrolled in the broader BPGI, participation in this exclusive cohort provides the guidance of Microsoft leaders and experts, delivered through a precisely designed and tried business enablement and tech-intensive program. The Catalyst Accelerator program was specifically designed to provide our Black-owned business partners with opportunities that will open the door for stronger partnerships across the Microsoft ecosystem, including prioritized program referrals and market opportunities. After graduating from the Accelerator program, participants receive a company spotlight and post-graduation support to support growth and profitability.

Moreover, as partners increase their overall market readiness, they gain access to prioritized referrals to other Microsoft programs intended to drive their growth and success.

It’s time to grow

Through offerings like BPGI and opportunities like the Accelerator program, Microsoft partners are expanding their access to success and growth channels through community, collaboration, and learning. 

The mission of the Black Partner Growth Initiative is to create pathways for Black-owned partner organizations to engage with the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program successfully and accelerate growth through greater community, access to capital, and stronger partnerships through Microsoft’s expansive ecosystem and platforms. At its heart, BPGI is a highly effective and tailored business incubator designed to provide access to information and resources, financial management, tech solutions, and go-to-market readiness training.

Learn more about the Microsoft Black Partner Growth Initiative and the Catalyst Accelerator program and get ready for the Spring cohort by applying now!