DETROIT ? Wayne State University’s TechTown has partnered with Microsoft to help startup companies create software using tools provided by Microsoft.
The new program, called BizSpark, is free to qualifying companies in Michigan.
Judy Johncox, Director of Venture Development Office at Wayne State, said TechTown was asked by Microsoft to interview and validate the companies that would participate in BizSpark. Qualifications include:
Privately held
Less than three years old
Less than $1 Million in annual revenue
?Microsoft?s goal is to work with business incubators like TechTown,? Johncox said. ?Since TechTown is in Detroit, it was a highlight for them. They liked our energy here.?
IC Data Communication, a TechTown tenant that provide IT support for the incubator, evaluated the BizTalk product and said it works well.
?Microsoft offers several different applications,? said Dwayne Carson of IC Data Communication. ?One is called Visual Studio Team systems suite. A second is called Expression Studio Version 2. It is production software that helps small businesses design and develop software and potentially market to a consumer base on a Microsoft platform. You would burn the software on a CD and sell it to end users.?
Josh Holmes, who designed himself as a Microsoft evangelist, said BizSpark is the most aggressive offering Microsoft has ever made to help start up software companies get to profitability quickly.
For more information, click on TechTownWSU.Org
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