Microsoft Ventures has made a strategic investment in SkyGiraffe Ltd., which provides a platform to securely extend a company's office enterprise systems directly to mobile devices. This is Microsoft Ventures' first investment. The companies did not disclose the size of the investment.
SkyGiraffe initially participated in Microsoft Corporation's (Nasdaq: MSFT) BizSpark program and later participated in the Microsoft Israel Ventures Accelerator. SkyGiraffe will use the proceeds to expand its business of providing organizations with enterprise-grade mobile apps for their employees.
Given the increased usage of smartphones and tablets in the workforce, implementing operational mobile apps have become a strategic priority for enterprise companies. SkyGiraffe's customizable mobile platform provides secure access to live data, such as sales, finance, inventory, and operational information. The apps are built directly from one or many enterprise systems, and can read and write-back live data to the company's systems. The native apps are built for both iOS and Android devices, eliminating implementation and compatibility issues.
"We provide the tools that make it exceptionally easy for businesses to perform at their best, anywhere and at any time," said SkyGiraffe CEO Boaz Hecht. "We are thrilled to work closely with the team at Microsoft Ventures to bring our services to customers around the world."
"SkyGiraffe has an extremely productive impact on how enterprises operate in the mobile world, while improving employee efficiency and lowering overall IT costs," said Microsoft Ventures general manager Rahul Sood. "They are a great example of talented founders that have utilized Microsoft's programs for startups to increase their opportunity to succeed in the market."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 15, 2013
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