I’m not sure a lot of people are aware of this or not, but I figured I’d just let everyone know just in case. Microsoft has a program available to small business startups, called Bizspark. Bizspark a global program that provides Microsoft software, support and visibility for small companies that is basically free of charge for 3 years. You pay $100 once you exit the program, but before that it’s absolutely free! As with everything there are a few caveats, but for must of us they are pretty hard to hit when you are just starting out.
The restrictions are as follows:
- Your company has to be privately held
- Your company has to be less than three years old
- You have to make less than $1 million annually
- And you have to develop software or provide support services (consulting etc.)
You also get publicity that can lead to potential investors, clients, and partnerships etc. With the MSDN subscription you can download fully functional software, ie SQL Server 2008 R2, Visual Studio 2010, Office 2010…the list goes on and on. This is one of the best deals I think I have ever run across, so if you are not currently aware of it, and you are a new startup, check it out today.
