Colombo, Sri Lanka – December 07, 2023: Microsoft Imagine Cup, the global technology startup competition for visionary student entrepreneurs harnessing the power of Microsoft AI, has announced its launch in Sri Lanka for 2024. Microsoft’s Imagine Cup is in its 22nd year. The competition, which offers the opportunity to develop a technological solution to address some of today’s most pressing local and global issues, will have a renewed focus on AI this year. By participating, students will have the opportunity to access cutting-edge AI technology with USD 1,000 of Azure Credits, USD 2,500 of OpenAI Credits, expert guidance to accelerate their startup’s AI journey, as well as expert technical and entrepreneurial mentorship, and the chance to win USD 100,000 and a mentoring session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella.
Since the spirited competition began more than two decades ago, students from Sri Lanka have also proudly emerged as world finalists and Asia winners. This year, once participants are successful in the Qualifying Stage, they will proceed to the next phase. As Imagine Cup participants, students will gain access to Microsoft for Startup Founders Hub, a platform that empowers anyone with a creative idea get started on their entrepreneurial journey with free access to support, expert guidance and leading AI models through Azure, including OpenAI GPT-3.5 Turbo and GPT-4, Llama 2 from Meta, and more.
Commenting on the competition, Harsha Randeny, Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka and Maldives, said, “We are proud to launch Microsoft Imagine Cup in Sri Lanka, exemplifying our commitment to empowering student entrepreneurs to think big, explore possibilities, and come up with creative ideas to tackle some of the world’s biggest issues. With this edition of the competition, the emphasis is on AI offering the next generation of entrepreneurs in the country the opportunity to actively contribute to society. I look forward to the innovation and creativity that will undoubtedly be showcased, and I encourage students to utilize this opportunity to represent their country and strive for the World Championship.”
2024 Imagine Cup will give students in Sri Lanka an opportunity to compete globally while they would also be recognized in the local competition. The competition has four stages with the Qualifying stage already in progress (ending on Jan 24), followed by the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) Submissions (Jan 26 – Feb 9), Semi-Finals (Feb 23 – April 12) and finally, the World Championship (April 26 – Build).
To unlock your startup’s potential with 2024 Imagine Cup, students can now submit their ideas at imaginecup.microsoft.com. More information about the competition can be found at FAQ | Imagine Cup (microsoft.com).