Microsoft Innovation Center Report 2008-2009 vol.8
Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 the Best Commercial Business Award Announced at Microsoft Innovation Day 2008
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Wednesday, November 19th, 2008, Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel (Shibuya, Tokyo)
On November 19th, Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 the Best Commercial Business Award winner was announced at Microsoft Innovation Day 2008 at Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel (Shibuya, Tokyo).
Yasuyuki Higuchi (President & CEO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan and Corporate Vice President) and Shunichi Kajisa (CTO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan) announced the Best Commercial Business Award. They held a press conference on the same day, announcing that they would enhance their IT venture support programs to support venture companies, and also introduced a new support program, Microsoft BizSpark, to support new venture companies (business startups).
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Active Support of the New Era's IT Industry to Help Transform Ideas into Business
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Prior to the announcement of Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 the Best Commercial Business Award winner, Yasuyuki Higuchi presented an opening speech, emphasizing the increasing importance of software and services in a time when IT environments are undergoing various changes.
"Microsoft’s mission is to chase the possibility of software as much as possible," said Yasuyuki Higuchi (President & CEO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan and Corporate Vice President), " We aim to maximize the new added value provided by various devices interconnected on the cloud (via Internet) other than the value of a PC alone. In such an environment, where the value provided by Software becomes diversified, it will be more important to make the most use of the latest technologies as well as to provide innovative services."
Aiming to energize local communities and to support the software industry by making the most use of IT, Microsoft has been actively engaged in its corporate citizenship activities: Breaking the digital divide through cooperation with local governments, educational institutions, and NPO's, as well as energizing local communities with the use of IT; Fostering IT engineers to improve Japan's ability to create innovations; and the Microsoft Innovation Award as a part of its IT venture company support programs.
"Today, the Best Commercial Business Award winner of Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 will be announced," continued Higuchi, "Microsoft has long actively supported IT ventures that turn ideas into business, and offered the IT Venture Support Program and Incubation Program. Four new local communities joined our IT Venture Support Program, and we have a plan to offer innovative support programs to help new IT venture startups to be successful."
Microsoft Innovation Award 2008: the Best Commercial Business Award
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Following Higuchi's opening speech, the winners of Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 were introduced.
Microsoft Innovation Award is given to companies that develop creative ideas into business and provide innovative solutions. Fifty companies applied for the Microsoft Innovation Award 2008. Following four other award winning companies, the Best Commercial Business Award winner was announced in front of a large audience.
| Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 Best Commercial Business Award |
gsport, inc: Healthcare IT solution Yugami-ru Based on Visual Studio and DirectShow (real-time camera control), this advanced solution allows anyone to check the distortion in their posture. The details can be found at Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 Best Commercial Business Award.
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Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 the Best Commercial Business Award was presented to Yugami-ru, a healthcare IT solution from gsport, inc. According to Shunichi Kajisa (CTO, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan), the solution was evaluated as "a solution that can be introduced to the world, because health is now one of the major issues on people’s minds, not only in Japan but all around the world."
"It is really a great surprise to receive such an honor," said Atsushi Kuroda (CEO & Founder, gsport, inc.), "We never imagined we would win the prize. As Mr. Kajisa noted, people all over the world are very conscious of their health. We will do our best to keep developing products that can compete in the world market."
Higuchi handed over a trophy and a cash award of 1 million JPY to Kuroda.
New Programs to Accelerate the Success of IT Ventures
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Kajisa announced Microsoft's new program for IT venture support in both his opening speech and at the press conference held on the same day. To date, the IT Venture Support Program is offered in four prefectures including Fukui, Aichi, Hiroshima and Kagawa, and the Incubation Program is available in four other prefectures including Hokkaido, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa. Four new prefectures including Aomori, Kochi, Tokushima and Tottori joined the IT Venture Support Program. Along with these collaborative frameworks, Kajisa announced Microsoft would further enhance its IT venture support activities.
“The current economic situation is unstable,” started Kajisa, “and we will definitely hear about cost reduction and postponing investments. In such a situation, however, it is necessary to streamline the process and create new values by making the most use of IT. In order to provide more active support for IT venture companies, Microsoft will enhance its existing programs, as well as launch a new program; Microsoft BizSpark, to support venture startups.”
Microsoft BizSpark is an innovative support program that helps new IT venture companies to be successful. The program is provided in many countries around the world, offering software development environments, product licenses for operation and global marketing effects, and support from network partners (incubators, investors, government agencies, and hosting companies).
| Microsoft Innovation Day 2008: Overview | ||||||||||
Microsoft Innovation Day 2008 was held for IT venture companies and other companies who provide support businesses for IT venture companies. In addition to Microsoft Innovation Award 2008 presentation ceremony, various sessions were held in order to promote IT ventures’ creative ideas to business.
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| Fellowship Banquet to Energize IT Industry |
After Microsoft Innovation Day 2008, a fellowship banquet was presented by alliance organizations of Microsoft Innovation Center at Gifu, Sapporo and Asahikawa, other network partners of IT Venture Support Program and BizSpark all over Japan, and wipse. Higuchi, who presented an opening greeting speech, and many other participants celebrated the Microsoft Innovation Award winning companies, and had a relaxed chat with the speakers from Microsoft Innovation Day 2008. Ikuo Nishioka (President, CEO and CIO (Chief Investment Officer), Mobile Internet Capital Inc.), who gave a keynote speech, emphasized the importance of supporting venture companies, with an analogy of the economy as a forest: “You wouldn’t think of a healthy forest as consisting of only big and old trees,” said Nishioka, “Just a few percents of seeds dropped from the trees sprout, another few percent of which grow to be full-grown trees. In this manner, ensuring the survival of the next generation makes the forest healthy. In the same manner, we need to establish a framework to support the new seeds or venture companies.” Based on his own experience, Nishioka also discussed the importance for the venture companies to improve their portfolios in order to accelerate the support activities in turn. Many participants agreed with Nishioka, and they exchanged enthusiastic words for energizing the IT industry.
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