Microsoft loves startups! No seriously, we even have a special program called BizSpark to show our love for startups. BizSpark gives software startups the tools, software, training and cloud resources they need to get their idea to market as fast as possible, oh and it’s all free, for 3 years. And the catch is, there is no catch! You get to keep whatever you used. Get more details here if this sounds interesting, and I hope it does! This is why we wanted to get involved with Startup Weekend, an awesome event that challenges developers, marketers, designers and enthusiasts to start a company in just 54 hours!
So what are we doing at Startup Weekend? We’ll be on site to help you and your team sign up for this magical BizSpark thing so you can start using your benefits right away. We will also be there to ensure you activate your free Windows Azure benefits so you can get cloudy right from the get go. Thinking of writing a Windows 8 or Windows Phone 8 app? Of course you are! (right?!?) We’ll also get you hooked up with a free 1-year Windows Store & Windows Phone developer account (a benefit all our BizSpark members get) to secure your awesome app name. Other than that we are happy to chat about your ideas, talk tech, generally help out and enjoy ourselves. Oh and we might have some swag or something to give out too ;)
Unfortunately for you, and fortunately for me, I’ll be hanging out with Cheryl Draper who is running Startup Weekend here in Ottawa, but rest assured you Torontonians (and anyone traveling to Toronto for this event) will be well cared for by none other than Rob Kent and Jonathan Rozenblit (who are about as cloudy as you get) so if you have any questions about leveraging Windows Azure, speak to Rob and Jonathan!
As always, you can find me here: @marc_gagne
