Microsoft Helping Start-Ups with BizSpark

Starting up a company? Microsoft BizSpark can help

If you’ve a small start-up company with less than $1M in revenue and haven’t been around for more than 3 years, you may be able to get some assistance pushing your endeavors into the future by grabbing some help from Microsoft.

They have launched a service to help small businesses start using some of their new Windows Azure and Mesh services without any type of barrier to entry. Not too bad of a gig I might say.

You can grab more information at www.microsoft.com/bizspark and www.microsoftstartupzone.com if you’re interested.

BizSpark is an innovative new program that unites Startups with entrepreneurial and technology resources in a global community with a common goal of supporting and accelerating the success of a new generation of high-potential Startups.

That’s a fairly straight-forward explanation of what’s going on here, but the Startup Zone website goes into a little bit more detail with this information:

Microsoft® BizSpark™ is a global program designed to help accelerate the success of early stage startups by providing key resources when they need it the most:

• Software. Receive fast and easy access to current full-featured Microsoft development tools, platform technologies, and production licenses of server products for immediate use in developing and bringing to market innovative and interoperable solutions. There is no upfront cost to enroll.
• Support. Get connected to Network Partners around the world — incubators, investors, advisors, government agencies and hosters — that are equally involved and vested in software-fueled innovation and entrepreneurship who will provide a wide range of support resources.
• Visibility. Achieve global visibility to an audience of potential investors, clients and partners
  As a Microsoft BizSpark member, you’ll be tapping into a rich, vibrant ecosystem of peers, partners and support resources around the globe, helping you grow and succeed. Microsoft BizSpark is the quickest way to get your Startup fired up.

Software, support and exposure goes a long way for a new company wouldn’t you say? I hear about things like this and it makes me wonder why people think Microsoft has no competition with open source opportunities and promotion, or that the only way to make use of Microsoft products is by paying out the nose.