Show #4: Microsoft’s BizSpark, Balsamiq Studio.

The Startup Success Podcast

This week we dig into BizSpark, Microsoft’s new program for startups. Microsoft hopes they will change the web app game with BizSpark and create a new generation of Microsoft-centric startups. BizSpark is not just free tools for developers, it explicitly includes production licenses and a twist: it’s free, but you’ve got to get the nod from a BizSpark Network Partner. We interview Microsoft’s Senior Director of US Partner Evangelism Larry Gregory and get the lowdown.

Also, I interview Peldi Guilizzoni the founder of Balsamiq Studios and creator of Balsamiq Mockups, a great Adobe AIR app that I and other startups have learned to love for mocking up screens. We talk about what’s it like being AIR-centric microISV and a really cool way he’s using Twitter to market his product.

And I have your weekly microISV tip – what you should do if your product get trashed in the blogosphere, and a book recommendation for that idle free time you been having! 🙂

Download Show #4 here: startupsuccess004 Or if you prefer, Subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes.

What can we do to help you? Who should we go interview? What knowledge should we go find an expert in and pick their brains? Let us know!

Bob Walsh is on twitter at http://twitter.com/bobwalsh or you can email him at bob.walsh@47hats.com
Patrick Foley is on twitter at http://twitter.com/patrickfoley or you can email him at patrick.foley@microsoft.com

Show Notes:

URLs mentioned in this episode of the Startup Success Podcast.

• BizSpark
• Larry Gregory’s post re BizSpark
• Julien Codorniou’s – the BizSpark Program Manager – announcement post
• Balsamiq Studio and Balsamiq Mockups
• $$ tag for Twitter ads? I want to pay for Twitter!