Program guide
How to apply to Microsoft Imagine Cup
Microsoft's global startup competition for student founders building with Microsoft AI and cloud tools, with mentoring, resources and a showcase for the top student ventures.
Step by step
- Check that you are eligibleThe published rules: Open to students; For student founders (team rules per edition).
- Gather the materialsYou will need: Application form answers.
- Write the answersFind the judging criteria on the official page and answer each one explicitly, in the order listed.
- Submit on the official pageApply through the official page (Own portal), and keep the confirmation.
- Follow upNote when results are due. If the organiser invites questions, ask once, briefly, after the date has passed.
Timeline
- 21 days before the deadlineUpdate deck and numbersRefresh the deck, key metrics and the one-sentence description of the company.
- 14 days before the deadlineDraft the answersAnswer every question plainly, with numbers you can verify.
- 7 days before the deadlineRecord and reviewRecord the video if one is asked for, and have someone outside the team read the answers.
- 2 days before the deadlineSubmitSubmit early; some programs review applications as they arrive.
Questions you will meet, answered honestly
What problem are you solving, and for whom?
One specific customer and what the problem costs them, ideally from conversations you have had. Say how you know.
How will you use the prize?
A short plan with amounts that fit the prize. Judges notice when the plan isn't tied to the money on offer.
What reviewers of startup competitions look for
- Find the judging criteria on the official page and answer each one explicitly, in the order listed.
- Make a deck that works without you speaking: early rounds are often judged from the deck alone.
- Check eligibility early; limits on company age, revenue, nationality or university affiliation are common and strictly applied.
How Onward Scout helps
This one is submitted on the organiser's own site, behind your login. Onward Scout prepares every answer and file in the form's order with one-tap copy, so submitting takes minutes; you mark it submitted when you're done.
Let Onward Scout prepare your Microsoft Imagine Cup application
Get a pitch deck and a one-pager for this programme, drafted from what you already have in about two minutes. Free to start, no account needed. Every answer is drafted from your own documents with sources, and nothing is submitted without your tap.
Nothing is submitted without your tap. Logins, CAPTCHAs, payments and interviews stay with you.