Microsoft Innovation Center Report 2008-2009 vol.5
Microsoft Innovation Award 2008；Winner Companies That Received Awards for Most Outstanding Performance Demonstrated their Winning Solutions at Tech Ed 2008 Yokohama
Related Links
|
August 26th – 29th, 2008, Tech Ed 2008 Yokohama
Tech Ed 2008 Yokohama, one of the largest technical conferences Microsoft presents worldwide, was held at Pacifico Yokohama from August 26th to 29th. The winner companies at Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 exhibited their award winning solutions at Showcase (exhibition booths). Like a previous year, the Best Commercial Business Award winner would be elected based on the votes cast by the Tech Ed participants and all Microsoft employees.
On This Page
Showcase Containing Creative Ideas and Japanese High-Quality Technologies Attracted Attention
|
As in a previous year, Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 will be held to honor awards to ICT (Information Communication Technology) venture companies operating or planning to operate businesses with their innovative software based on Microsoft technologies. Among the domestic venture company applicants, five companies won the awards for outstanding performance. The Best Commercial Business Award winner will be chosen from these five companies.
In Tech Ed 2008, the solutions presented by the winner companies were exhibited at Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 Showcase, as well as in MIC Street Live! During the conference, a great deal of the Tech Ed participants stopped by the Showcase between their sessions and during the break periods, and closely examined each company's solution.
Each registered participant at Tech Ed can serve as a judge and has a vote for Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 Best Commercial Business Award. The participants cast their votes at the ballot box for the solutions that they considered the most outstanding. The result of this vote, together with another by all Microsoft employees, will be taken into account for the final selection of the Best Commercial Business Award winner at a later date.
The Best Commercial Business Award winner will be announced at a presentation ceremony at Microsoft Innovation Day (scheduled for November 2008).
Yasuyuki Higuchi Visited the Innovative Solutions
|
Yasuyuki Higuchi (President & CEO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan and Corporate Vice President) visited the conference. Higuchi looked at each booth of the five most outstanding companies, and listened to the descriptions of the solutions.
"IT engineers tend to be so busy," Higuchi, inspired from the innovative solutions, noted at his opening keynote speech at Tech Ed 2008, "that they have little chance to be exposed to external inspiration. It is important, however, to keep up with innovative technologies and the latest information, and these inspirations will help you to grow further." He spent all of his scheduled time examining the solutions, exchanging opinions with the company staff and operating the solutions himself.
A number of reporters came along on Higuchi's tour. They actively collected news coverage, including taking pictures of the booths and interviewing the company representatives. As Microsoft, the host of the conference, anticipated a remarkable marketing effect, this Showcase proved to be a good opportunity to introduce the innovative solutions to a large audience including domestic companies and IT engineers.
“What the companies that received awards for outstanding performance expect Microsoft most is to receive a great benefit from the marketing effect through this award,” says Nobuaki Nagai (wipse IT Venture Community Lead; Senior Manager, Business Incubation (LSE), Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), “we will provide a variety of support to the winner companies including technical support, overseas training and support for business to roll out overseas. Our marketing support includes various plans through which their solutions will be actively introduced.”
The Five Winner Companies That Received Awards for Outstanding Performance
A number of high-quality solutions applied for Microsoft Innovation Award 2008. As a Microsoft employee among Higuchi’s tour members said “these solutions are just all terrific,” each company’s solution effectively utilized Microsoft technologies in order to realize its underlying creative idea.
Outstanding Solutions from the Winner Companies
For the details of these solutions, please visit Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 page
Acknowledging Each Other’s Achievements and Pledging Every Effort to Realize Japanese Innovation
After the Microsoft Innovation Award Showcase, the five most outstanding companies were invited to a get-together with Windows + Services Consortium (http://wipse.jp/english/index.html
). wipse Chairman Akira Matsukura and many others congratulated the most outstanding companies.
"By transforming your unique ideas into actual software," said Matsukura, "you are challenging new business. I, too, started my career from an IT venture years ago. Many venture companies with unique technologies are participating in wipse. With this Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 as your next step, I am looking forward to seeing outstanding IT venture companies like you make great achievements in the field of software development."
At the banquet, Fun Computing to Produce Skilled Dads, a session presented in MIC Street Live! at Tech Ed 2008, was introduced. In addition, Naohiro Takahashi (Keio University), who won third place in the Algorithm division at Imagine Cup 2008 World Final in France, made a short presentation.
Among many participants at the banquet, Microsoft employees and participants from the most outstanding companies exchanged their opinions, acknowledging each other’s work and pledging every effort to realize Japanese innovation.
