Microsoft names Bala Girisaballa as CEO-in-Residence for Microsoft Accelerator

Microsoft has announced that Bala Girisaballa will be leading Microsoft Accelerator in India as CEO-in-Residence. He took charge of the Accelerator’s India operations, with effect from August 1, 2016. Microsoft also announced that Ravi Narayan, Director, will now assume the role of Global Director at Microsoft Accelerator.

Bala Girisaballa will lead the Accelerator’s efforts to help market-ready start-ups and entrepreneurs to scale up and become successful businesses through the technology enablement, global go-to-market efforts and deep business advisory in the form of Hi-Po and Scale-Up programs. Prior to this, Bala Girisaballa was with Zinnov as Partner & Practice Head helping MNC R&D companies.

Ravi Narayan, in his new role as Global Director, will help Microsoft Accelerator in eight locations around the world to become market-ready, focused and accelerate these start-ups that have or will raise institutional funding from VCs. He will also focus on scaling the start-up acceleration model through global partners.

Early last year, Microsoft Accelerator in India redesigned their programs to cater to market-ready start-ups. Since then, it has graduated three cohorts which include start-ups like iBot, CustomerXPs, Altizon, CloudCherry and Reverie Technologies. It has also formed partnerships with Temasek, TCS, Citi, Reliance Industries and other Multinational Corporates under its corporate engagement program #CoInnovate, to help the start-ups in their go-to-market efforts and global expansion.