Microsoft announces partnership with HSBC and BT for BizSpark programme

PRAGUE, 13 May, 2009

Today, at the 6th Annual European Investor Summit,* Microsoft announced new partnerships with HSBC globally and with BT Business in the UK who become BizSpark Network Partners.

BizSpark is an innovative 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 companies. BizSpark startups receive professional support from Microsoft as well as community-driven support from Network Partners, who provide guidance, mentoring and resources to startups.

Dan’l Lewin, Corporate Vice President, Strategic and Emerging Business, Microsoft Corporation, who delivers a keynote at the event in Prague says: “More than 12,000 companies worldwide are benefiting from the BizSpark program – with more than 1,300 Network Partners in 82 countries offering the program to their own networks and delivering more value to young software companies.

In Europe, we have seen in excess of 3,400 companies join the BizSpark program through more than 500 Network Partners so there is clearly a huge amount of innovation coming out of Europe that needs funding. We are delighted to see companies such as HSBC and BT join Microsoft in our mission to accelerate innovation growth across Europe, and to host so many members of the European investor community in Prague aiming to fund the next generation of entrepreneurs”.

BizSpark Partnerships help us reach more Entrepreneurs

The partnership between HSBC and Microsoft will see the BizSpark initiative reaching HSBC Business Banking‘s 2.7 million business banking customers in 31 countries enabling an estimated 40,000 companies worldwide. It commences in UK, France, Turkey and Malta followed by other markets such as Poland and United Arab Emirates in the coming months.

Amanda Rendle, Head of Marketing Commercial Banking Global at HSBC, said: "The technology sector is extremely important to HSBC and accounted for a significant proportion of our start ups within the last year. In the current economic climate, we are constantly looking for new ways to support our startups and HSBC's participation in the Microsoft BizSpark programme demonstrates our commitment, by providing a crucial business sector with access to software, support and exposure designed to accelerate their success in a challenging time."

BT Business, with over one million UK business customers, is the UK's largest technology supplier of BizSpark. Bill Murphy, managing director, BT Business said: "Innovators will always be rewarded even in tougher economic conditions. BT Business encourages firms to be more efficient and productive by using technology to change and improve business processes. Through our support services and technologies, including Microsoft BizSpark which has no upfront enrolment costs, we are helping our customers compete now and be in a strong position when the upturn comes."

Entrepreneurship Indicators

Microsoft also announced research carried out by IDC into the current drivers and barriers to entrepreneurship in ICT. The results of the research indicate a need to foster a global business environment that is more supportive of start-up companies. The research was conducted across 31 countries in Europe, Middle East & Africa, and demonstrates that while there is considerable innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, particularly among some emerging markets, access to capital and other factors create prohibitive conditions. Ireland has a strong entrepreneur cultural, but lower access to capital and higher barriers to entry than other countries. The same is true of Estonia compared to other CEE countries. Says Marcel Warmerdam, Associate Vice President European IT Markets, IDC, “This extremely comprehensive research, maps out very clearly the determinants for starting a successful new technology business – such as access to capital, the country’s entrepreneurial culture, regulatory framework, R&D and market conditions – and shows where there is a mismatch, for instance between innovation and investment. Initiatives such as Microsoft BizSpark are needed because they help entrepreneurs to overcome many of these barriers.”

Keynoting at the event in Prague, Jan Muehlfeit, Chairman, Microsoft Europe, says “Early-stage venture capital is chronically scarce in Europe – about a third the size of the US market. Now the financial crisis threatens even that small amount. It's time to scale up our efforts and do more to connect great ideas and innovation, to funding solutions.”

In the words of VIOSO CEO, Emanuel Züger, a startup company in Germany: “Microsoft introduced us to our main investor, Hasso Plattner Ventures. Although Smartprojecting™ is commercially launched and we have our first customers, in these challenging economic times, this help is invaluable. As well as being a Certified Microsoft Partner, we are also part of BizSpark, which means that we do not have to limit our development power. We can set up as many machines as we like without worrying about the additional cost of licences. It has saved us a five-figure sum and gives us a lot of freedom.”

Note to editors

* Worldwide Investment in Entrepreneurship

At the 6th Annual European Investor Summit, Microsoft will bring together key players from the investment community, entrepreneurs and startups to profile the role and importance of innovative technology and SMEs in boosting Europe’s short-term recovery and long-term growth. The event is timed to coincide with the first European SME Week, hosted by the Czech Presidency in Prague.

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