Microsoft
Taylor Black is a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, leading the Incubation Studio and Strategic Programs Team since April 2021. With extensive experience in startup mentorship and innovation, Taylor serves as a Fellow at Conduit Venture Labs and the Managing General Partner at Fizzy Ventures, while also mentoring at Microsoft for Startups and the Founder Institute. Taylor co-founded Round, facilitating a community for technology leaders, and was a Founding Member of Forum Ventures, fostering connections among innovation leaders. Previous roles include Operations Manager at Intellectual Ventures and Founder of Fizzy Inc. Taylor holds a JD from Boston College Law School, an MA in Philosophy from Boston College, and a BA in multiple disciplines from Gonzaga University.
Microsoft
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Founded by childhood friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Redmond Washington, Microsoft began its operations as a computer software company. They quickly became a household name within the computer operating system market when it was founded in 1975. With their successful IPO a few years later, they went on to acquire several large operations such as LinkedIn and Skype giving them total market dominance. With the shift to a devices and services strategy and under new leadership, Microsoft went on to become the most valuable publicly traded company in the world. In 2019, they made history as the third US public company to reach 1 trillion market cap, and most recently, they have been valued at over 2 trillion. Today, Microsoft generates revenue by developing, licensing, and supporting a wide range of software products and services, by designing and selling hardware, and by delivering relevant online advertising to a global customer audience. In addition to selling individual products and services, they offer suites of products and services such as consulting to computer system integrators and developers. However, they are mostly known for Microsoft Windows Operating System, Microsoft Office suite, and the Internet Explorer web browser. More specifically, their products include operating systems for personal computers, servers, phones, and other intelligent devices; server applications for distributed computing environments; productivity applications; business solution applications; desktop and server management tools; software development tools; video games; and online advertising. They also design and sell hardware including the Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment console, Kinect for Xbox 360, Xbox 360 accessories, and Microsoft PC hardware products