Microsoft's investment arm set for first deal in China

The investment arm of Microsoft has entered the Chinese market, and the company said the first investment might be completed soon.

Microsoft Ventures, launched at the end of June by Microsoft, aims to provide support to start-ups through "mentorship, technology guidance, seed funding, joint selling opportunities, and other benefits", Rahul Sood, general manager of Microsoft startups, wrote in a blog.

David Lin, Director of Microsoft Ventures in China, said the newly established company integrates the BizSpark program and the Bing Fund seed investment initiative under one umbrella to make things as easy as possible for entrepreneurs.

"We are close to completing the first acquisition in China," Lin said at a Beijing briefing this month.

Zhang Yaqin, vice-president of Microsoft said: "We have no upper limit for the investment fund. If there is an appropriate opportunity, we will make a move."