How AI-first companies are shaping the next era with Microsoft AI
Startups are turning emerging AI technologies into real-world solutions and scaling faster than ever. Every day, I meet founders who aren’t just talking about AI, they’re building with it. They’re solving real problems, moving fast, and refusing to settle for incremental change. At Microsoft, our job is simple: clear the runway for these innovators. We bring the cloud, the tools, and the partnership so they can focus on what matters: making a difference.
Imagine a world where every organization—from early-stage startups to global enterprises—harnesses AI to unlock new business models and empower human ambition. That future isn’t years away; it’s here now.
This transformation is fueled by platforms that combine scale, security, and advanced AI capabilities. The Microsoft AI platform is powering a new generation of AI-first companies that are redefining industries and setting new standards for responsible innovation. From seed-stage disruptors to scaling unicorns, these companies are driving many of the most meaningful advances in AI today, compressing innovation cycles from years to months.
The technologies driving the AI revolution
Breakthroughs in algorithms, the rise of large language models, and integration with technologies like the Internet of Things and blockchain are redefining what’s possible. Multimodal AI—the integration of text, images, and other types of data—is creating richer, more intuitive experiences. These advances are converging to unlock new levels of autonomy and creativity—empowering people and organizations to achieve more than ever before. Agentic AI is especially exciting: it’s not just about automation; it’s about systems that can reason and act alongside people. The pace of adoption is staggering, and the impact is real. In fact, IDC estimates that agentic AI is the new differentiator and in the next two years, the number of companies using agentic AI will triple.
These breakthroughs aren’t just theoretical; they’re shaping real-world solutions. As multimodal AI, agentic systems, and advanced models converge, Microsoft provides the scale, security, and trust businesses need to innovate boldly. Our platform combines powerful infrastructure, cutting-edge models, and tools like Microsoft Copilot and agents to turn ideas into impact.
Startups leading the way
With these advances accelerating, startups are seizing the moment and building solutions that redefine industries and inspire what’s next. The five companies featured below exemplify this next wave of innovation—delivering smarter automation, seamless integration, and transformative experiences across industries. These companies aren’t just success stories—they’re blueprints for what’s possible when vision meets technology.
Kore.ai is a global leader in enterprise AI platforms and solutions, empowering organizations to automate service, work, and processes at scale. Kore.ai’s agent platform enables rapid design, deployment, and management of AI agents—delivering standardized, scalable automation across industries. By using Microsoft Cloud and Azure AI, Kore.ai enhances digital customer experiences, boosts employee productivity, and streamlines operations. Kore.ai’s agentic orchestration capabilities align with Microsoft’s mission by embedding AI into the flow of work, applying intelligence rooted in business data, and upholding security and trust at every layer.
By integrating deeply with Microsoft technologies, we’re empowering customers to unify AI-driven collaboration, automation, and service delivery into one intelligent enterprise layer, delivered securely and at scale—ultimately accelerating their journey from AI experimentation to enterprise-wide transformation.
—Raj Koneru, Founder and CEO, Kore.ai
MainFunc, founded by alumni from Microsoft and Google, is a Palo Alto-based innovator in AI agentic engines. Its flagship product, Genspark, is an all-in-one AI workspace designed to help autonomous agents tackle complex tasks—from deep research to creating AI Slides, AI Sheets, and AI Designer outputs. Built on a multi-agent framework, Genspark uses more than 30 AI models such as GPT-5 and Claude 4.5 to address the challenge of inefficient workflows. By integrating with Microsoft 365 agents, Genspark acts as a digital coworker within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, streamlining processes and boosting productivity. With its outcome-driven approach, Genspark empowers organizations to make faster, smarter decisions and unlock new levels of efficiency.
We want to solve the pain points from our users, not solve the pain points of different services. We trust Azure to deliver innovative and scalable cloud and AI solutions to help us do just that.
—Eric Jing, Cofounder and CEO of MainFunc
Manus AI is redefining the future of work with one of the world’s first fully autonomous AI agents—capable of independent thinking, dynamic planning, and decision-making. Built on Microsoft Foundry, Manus delivers scalable, multi-agent architecture that automates complex workflows across industries without human intervention. From accelerating large-scale research and generating actionable insights to creating dynamic dashboards for real-time trend analysis, Manus empowers organizations to make faster, smarter decisions. Its multimodal capabilities even allow for rapid image editing and creation, helping marketing and product teams maintain brand consistency and iterate at speed. By bridging the gap between intent and execution, Manus is setting a new benchmark for intelligent automation—freeing human talent to focus on creativity and strategy.
We chose Microsoft because trust, scalability, and innovation are critical to our mission. Foundry gives us the infrastructure and advanced tooling to deliver autonomous AI at global scale—helping enterprises automate complex workflows securely and responsibly while unlocking new levels of productivity.
—Tao Zhang, Cofounder and Chief Product Officer at Manus AI
Replit is bringing vibe coding to enterprises—an AI-powered approach that lets anyone build and deploy secure applications using natural language. Through its partnership with Microsoft, Replit integrates with Azure services like Microsoft Azure Container Apps, Azure Virtual Machines, and Neon Serverless Postgres to deliver scalable development on trusted cloud infrastructure. Available through the Microsoft Marketplace, this collaboration empowers business teams to prototype and innovate quickly while maintaining enterprise-grade security and governance. By combining Replit’s agentic development platform with Microsoft’s AI ecosystem, organizations can accelerate software delivery and transform ideas into production-ready apps.
Azure’s trusted infrastructure and AI capabilities give our customers the confidence to innovate securely and at scale—transforming ideas into production-ready applications without traditional technical bottlenecks.
—Amjad Masad, CEO and Cofounder of Replit
Yobi, a New York-based AI company, democratizes behavioral intelligence to drive enterprise growth and advance the study of human decision-making. The company has compiled the largest consented consumer database in the US, connecting enterprises to a scale of behavioral intelligence otherwise only available to a few giant online platforms. Built on Microsoft Azure, Yobi’s behavioral foundation model uniquely allows real-time customer representations that surface intent signals without exposing or transferring personal details—protecting consumer privacy and operating within United States data protection regulations. These predictive insights support hyper-personalized experiences and marketing optimization, while boosting conversion rates, reducing costs, and enhancing engagement. From record-breaking holiday campaigns to accelerated data acquisition for global brands, Yobi and Microsoft deliver measurable outcomes—proving AI can be a practical growth driver when paired with trusted cloud infrastructure.
Enterprises have long been at the mercy of a few tech companies to understand customer intent. Yobi is democratizing what was previously behind walled gardens, using Microsoft Azure’s trusted AI infrastructure to train massive behavioral models that enhance brands’ personalization and monetization without sacrificing customer privacy.
—Max Snow, CEO and Cofounder of Yobi
Microsoft’s commitment: Empowering ambition, accelerating opportunity
The future belongs to those who act boldly and harness the transformative power of cloud and AI. At Microsoft, we’re helping startups and scaling software companies grow responsibly—turning ambitious ideas into trusted, enterprise-ready solutions that reach customers around the world.
Microsoft’s platform stands apart, trusted, secure, and built for scale, with advanced capabilities that amplify human ingenuity and accelerate innovation. Through Microsoft for Startups, founders gain access to Azure credits, technical guidance, and a global go-to-market network that turns early progress into lasting impact.
We’re not just supporting technology; we’re empowering human ambition, helping software companies and startups turn vision into reality and solve the world’s most pressing challenges.
Ready to lead the next era? Explore Microsoft for Startups and start building today.
Resources to accelerate your AI journey
- Blog: Becoming Frontier: How human ambition and AI-first differentiation are helping Microsoft customers go further with AI, by Judson Althoff—CEO of Microsoft’s commercial business.
- Blog: Bridging the AI divide: How Frontier Firms are transforming business by Alysa Taylor—Chief Marketing Officer, Commercial Cloud and AI.
- Microsoft Ignite 2025: Software development companies at Microsoft Ignite.
- Microsoft Marketplace provides access to thousands of AI apps and agents from our rich partner ecosystem designed to automate tasks, accelerate decision-making, and unlock business value.
