M12

M12 is the corporate venture capital arm of Microsoft. Established in 2016 as Microsoft Ventures, it was given the M12 name in 2018. The fund invests in technology businesses and connects its investment activity with Microsoft’s experience, products, and relationships across the technology sector. M12’s investment focus is oriented toward enterprise technology. Its areas of interest have included artificial intelligence, cloud and infrastructure software, cybersecurity, business applications, and other technologies relevant to organizations. As a corporate venture investor, it can provide portfolio companies with more than capital: its association with Microsoft may also offer access to industry expertise and potential connections to Microsoft’s ecosystem. Such support is distinct from a guarantee of a commercial partnership or product integration. The fund operates internationally, while being associated with Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. M12 is not a standalone publicly traded company; it is a Microsoft-backed investment organization. Its role is to identify and support promising technology companies, including businesses whose products or markets may be strategically relevant to Microsoft. Individual investment activity and portfolio composition can change over time.

Microsoft launched its corporate venture investing activity under the Microsoft Ventures name in 2016. The initiative established a dedicated way for Microsoft to invest in technology companies and engage with developments across the startup and enterprise-technology landscape. It became known as M12 in 2018, adopting a shorter identity for the fund while retaining its connection to Microsoft. M12’s remit is corporate venture capital rather than the sale of a conventional consumer product. It backs technology companies and has emphasized businesses and technologies relevant to organizational customers, including areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud software, cybersecurity, and business applications. Its relationship with Microsoft gives the fund a strategic context: investment decisions can sit alongside Microsoft’s broader interest in emerging technologies and the company’s participation in the enterprise market. The relationship does not, by itself, mean that every portfolio company has a Microsoft partnership or that its products are integrated into Microsoft offerings. The fund is associated with Microsoft, whose headquarters are in Redmond, Washington, and its investment activity reaches beyond a single local market. M12’s identity as a corporate venture investor distinguishes it from a publicly traded operating company and from an independent fund with no corporate parent. It invests in external businesses while operating within Microsoft’s corporate context. Over time, its investment themes and portfolio have evolved with technology markets; specific holdings and activities should therefore be understood as time-sensitive rather than as a fixed catalogue of products.

• 2018

  The fund adopts the M12 name

• 2016

  Microsoft Ventures launches

A strategic corporate venture capital investor focused on technology businesses, particularly those serving enterprise markets and potentially relevant to Microsoft’s ecosystem.

• M12 venture investments

  Equity investments in technology companies, with an emphasis on enterprise-relevant opportunities.

• Operate as a corporate venture capital armOther

• Unconfirmed

  Reported2026.10.07

  Mecka AI raises $60 million Series B round led by Sequoia[2]Mecka AI 宣布完成6000万美元B轮融资，红杉领投techcrunch.com

  Robot data startup Mecka AI, which collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots and other kinds of robots, announced it has raised a $60 million Series B round led by Sequoia, with participation from Nvidia, Microsoft's venture fund M12, and others.

• 2022.01.04

  Reported2022.01.04

  Prevedere completes $25 million financing[3]Prevedere完成2500万美元融资prweb.com

  Prevedere announced that it had completed $25 million in financing led by Norwest Venture Partners, with participation from Workday Ventures, M12, JobsOhio, Gaingels, and Latitude Ventures.

• 2021.07.27

  Reported2021.07.27

  PsiQuantum raises $450 million in Series D funding[4]PsiQuantum完成4.5亿美元D轮融资finanznachrichten.de

  PsiQuantum raised $450 million in Series D funding to build a commercially viable quantum computer. The round was led by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, with participation from existing and new investors.

• 2021.07.15

  Reported2021.07.15

  Netradyne announces $150 million Series C funding[5]Netradyne宣布获得1.5亿美元C轮融资prnewswire.com

  Netradyne announced a $150 million Series C funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from existing investors Point72 Ventures and M12. The company said it would use the funding to advance its core technology, expand into new geographies and accelerate hiring.

• 2021.05.13

  Reported2021.05.13

  Authomize announces $16 million Series A funding[6]Authomize宣布完成1600万美元A轮融资prnewswire.com

  Authomize announced the close of a $16 million Series A funding round led by Innovation Endeavors, with participation from return investors Blumberg Capital, Entree Capital and M12.

• 2021.03.02

  Reported2021.03.02

  Parabol raises $8 million in Series A funding[7]Parabol完成800万美元A轮融资prnewswire.com

  Parabol secured $8 million in Series A investment led by Microsoft's venture fund M12, with continued participation from CRV, Haystack, Techstars, and others. The company said it would use the funding to meet demand for additional Agile meeting types and add enterprise features.

• 2020.08.05

  Reported2020.08.05

  Zencity closes $13.5 million funding round[8]Zencity完成1350万美元融资prnewswire.com

  Zencity announced the closing of a $13.5 million funding round led by TLV Partners, with Salesforce Ventures and existing investors also participating.

• 2020.05.21

  Reported2020.05.21

  RapidAPI announces $25 million Series B funding[9]RapidAPI宣布获得2500万美元B轮融资businessinsider.com

  RapidAPI announced a $25 million Series B funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, DNS Capital, Green Bay Ventures, M12 and Grove Ventures.

• 2020.04.15

  FarEye raises $25 million in Series D funding[10]FarEye完成2500万美元D轮融资moneycontrol.com

  Logistics startup FarEye said it raised $25 million in a Series D round led by Microsoft’s venture capital fund M12, with participation from Eight Roads Ventures and Honeywell Ventures and existing investor SAIF Partners.

Read more

1. 1M12m12.vc
2. 2Mecka AI 宣布完成6000万美元B轮融资，红杉领投techcrunch.com
3. 3Prevedere完成2500万美元融资prweb.com
4. 4PsiQuantum完成4.5亿美元D轮融资finanznachrichten.de
5. 5Netradyne宣布获得1.5亿美元C轮融资prnewswire.com
6. 6Authomize宣布完成1600万美元A轮融资prnewswire.com
7. 7Parabol完成800万美元A轮融资prnewswire.com
8. 8Zencity完成1350万美元融资prnewswire.com
9. 9RapidAPI宣布获得2500万美元B轮融资businessinsider.com
10. 10FarEye完成2500万美元D轮融资moneycontrol.com
11. 11FarEye raises $25 mn in Series D funding led by Microsoft venture fundthenewsminute.com
12. 12FarEye raises USD 25 mn funding, to accelerate growth in US, Europebusiness-standard.com
13. 13PsiQuantum完成4.5亿美元D轮融资 用于构建其商用量子计算机finance.sina.com.cn