Microsoft’s very own startup accelerator branch, Microsoft Accelerator, has recently had a change in its top leadership structure. On Tuesday it appointed Bala Girisaballa as the new CEO-in-residence of Microsoft Accelerator. He will now be leading operation in India. Prior to this, Girisaballa was with globalization and market expansion advisory Zinnov as partner and practice head helping MNC R&D companies.

Bala Girisaballa will lead 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, Microsoft said in a statement. Girisaballa took charge of the Accelerator’s India operations with effect from August 1, 2016.

Microsoft also announced that Ravi Narayan, director, has been elevated to the role of global director at Microsoft Accelerator, formerly known as Microsoft Ventures. 

In his new role, Narayan will head Microsoft Accelerator in eight locations around the world and will focus on scaling the startup acceleration model through global partners. Additionally 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 venture capitalists. He will also focus on scaling the start-up acceleration model through global partners, it said.

Microsoft Accelerator is a global initiative to help young startups find access to both mentorship programs and funding opportunities. They work with later-stage startups to provide the tools, resources, connections, knowledge and expertise they need to become successful companies. 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. Being a global initiative built to empower entrepreneurs around the world, Microsoft Accelerator in India has graduated 95 startups so far in the last four years, and 167 startups in its extended portfolio. 

It has also formed partnerships with Temasek, TCS, Citi, Reliance Industries and other multinational corporations under its corporate engagement program CoInnovate, to help the start-ups in their go-to-market efforts and global expansion.