C-Care Helps Companies Better Understand The Lifecycle Of A Product
Editor's note: This post is part of a series of posts sponsored by Microsoft Finland. You can read the other posts over here.
Today we talk to Jari Jukantupa, the managing director of Cieltum, a software company in Finland, on what they are developing and how they leverage Microsoft technology to take their business further. Cieltum has created a cloud based service called C-Care. It's a service that enables clients to manage the complete lifecycle of their products and also reap profits from after sales activities for example. Furthermore C-Care is able to give a complete understanding in the status of your products. The service is aimed for companies who sell technical, complicated, and unique (in the sense that they are custom made) products.
BelleGames Uses Microsoft Bizspark To Promote Their Games
Editor's note: This post is part of a series of posts sponsored by Microsoft Finland. You can read the other posts over here.
In this post sponsored by Microsoft Finland, we take a look at a company, that is part of the Microsoft Bizspark program and try to understand what their feedback and thoughts regarding it are. The company we look at it is called BelleGames, an Oulu based gaming company - founded in 2011. They are creating non-violent, social games for various platforms including mobile and the web.
The founder of the company is Pirjo Ritokangas-Huttunen and she's also been an entrepreneur in the past. A lite version of their game Journey to Eden for Windows Phone was released in February this year, but the full game has been in development for five months.
Geeks On Wheels: Microsoft Student Partners On A Roadtrip
Editorial note: This is a sponsored post by Microsoft and is part of the Hear it from startups -series.
I had a chat with Drazen Dodik, a Microsoft Student Partner, about the Geeks on Wheels tour they did with the other Microsoft Student Partners in November and December. All in all the gentlemen toured some 12 different cities and universities in Finland, talking to students about the possibilities Windows Phone offers. The tour was also an answer to the numerous requests they had received regarding Windows Phone trainings from faculties and different partners around Finland.
How Sopima Values Microsoft Technology
I had the opportunity to talk to Jaan Apajalahti, the CTO and co-founder of Sopima, a company changing the way people work on contracts. Instead of passing around documents in e-mails and having a ton of different versions saved locally, Sopima allows companies and different parties to work on contracts in a much faster way by keeping them in a central location. More interestingly for the other founders and entrepreneurs out there, Sopima is built on Microsoft technology - Silverlight as well as Windows Azure.
Hear It From The Startups
We're starting a new partnership with Microsoft, as of this month, to discuss how startups are using Microsoft technology to take themselves further. The series is titled Microsoft Bizspark: Hear It From The Startups. Also, just like in the case of Nokia, we're looking to bring you information and content you haven't heard from anywhere else. We're thrilled to have Microsoft working with us! If you have any feedback or thoughts on what you'd want to hear about Microsoft and possibly how they work with startups, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at editor@arcticstartup.com.
VC Per Capita: Europe $7, US $72, Israel $142
In Europe we've come to realise it that while there are certain hotspots, to among which Northern Europe is slowly growing into, venture capital in general is extremely scarce compared to other parts of the world. Jan Müehlfeit, Microsoft’s European chairman, spoke this week in Brussles to TechEurope, in a Microsoft Bizspark summit, about the differences and challenges Europe faces as an area for entrepreneurs. Venture capital is clearly one of them.
Microsoft Doing Its Part To Foster The Global Startup Ecosystem
Disclaimer: While Microsoft is one of our advertisers at the time of writing this, this blog post is not in any way paid for by Microsoft. Please see our Editorial Policy for information on sponsored blog posts.
Last week I had a chat with the Director of Emerging Business Teams at Microsoft, Sam Rosenbalm, about how Microsoft is working on a global level to improve the startup ecosystem. Sam Rosenbalm is responsible for the Bizspark and other startup programs globally. Many people know that Microsoft has engulfed upon an ambitious journey with its Bizspark program. The program is aimed to be nothing less than a global startup program to create a community of startups that reap the benefits of Microsoft products.
The program has been immensely successful and I have to say, after talking to Sam Rosenbalm about it - I am impressed. There are now around 30 000 startups enlisted in the program from over a 100 countries. Microsoft is working hard with many different stake holders in the startup ecosystem to move things forward. Sam Rosenbalm rightly said that there aren't many organisations that are able to give startups useful cross border possibilities, be that partnerships, financing and so on. Microsoft is definitely one of these organisations making these possibilities available to startups.
ArcticEvening Stockholm Tickets Now Available
The tickets for our next week's ArcticEvening are now available for booking. Please find the sign-up form for registering to the event below. Note that if you are unable to make it to the event, please don't sign up. We have a limited amount of space available and would like to get everyone on board. Likewise, if you need to cancel for any reason, please inform us at events(at)arcticstartup.com so that we can reallocate the ticket.
Expect a house filled with like-minded entrepreneurial people, and lots of networking. We will start off with a brief presentation from Jaycut and continue with an interesting panel discussion. See the Stockholm event page for details. If you haven’t been to ArcticEvenings before, have a look at videos from our previous events.
So sign up below and come spice up our wonderful mix of people!
Sponsored: Zokem - Your Life. Share it. Automatically.
Note: this is our periodical blog sponsor message.
Zokem is a mobile communications and lifecasting startup that enables users to automatically share their daily activities to their friends’ mobile phones, to the Internet and to social networking services, such as Facebook and MySpace.
Sponsor: Microsoft WebsiteSpark Program
Note: this is our periodical blog sponsor message.
Are you a small Web development and design company?
Join Microsoft WebsiteSpark Program to Ignite New Opportunities.
As the latest initiative in the Spark family of programs, which includes Microsoft BizSpark for startups, and DreamSpark for students, Microsoft is building upon a legacy of working with key communities and providing the additional support, tools and resources needed to help them thrive. The WebsiteSpark Program provides Web professionals with Microsoft software and solutions, together with related tools, training and support, to help their businesses succeed.
Sponsor: GWeb2 - Digital Marketing Revolution
Note: this is our periodical blog sponsor message.
GWeb2 is the Digital Marketing Cloud Computing Company and they were first ones in Finland to join the BizSpark program. More than 20.000 Startups have already joined BizSpark and more than 180 of them from Finland. BizSpark is designed to help accelerate the success of early stage software startups by providing entrepreneurs fast and easy access to software, support and visibility. This summer GWeb2 was nominated as the Microsoft Startup of the Day.
Sponsor: Microsoft BizSpark
Note: this is our periodical blog sponsor message.
Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a program which offers new software businesses and entrepreneurs access to Microsoft design, development, and production tools with no upfront costs for up to three years. Members can also connect with a nationwide community of Network Partners – investors, incubators, service providers, and entrepreneurial organizations – who are keen to help.
For more information, or to connect with a Microsoft BizSpark advisor, please visit MicrosoftStartupZone.com/BizSpark.
For information in Finnish, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/finland/bizspark/
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If you wish to become ArcticStartup blog sponsor, please see more information here. If you are interested in sponsoring our ArcticEvening events, please contact events (at) arcticstartup.com.
Sponsor: Microsoft Biznes Mornings
Note: this is our periodical blog sponsor message.
Tule kuuntelemaan bisnes-maailman tähtipuhujia!
Syksyn ensimmäinen Biznes-aamupäivä järjestetään viikon päästä tiistaina 18.8.! Varaa paikkasi torstaihin 13.8.2009 mennessä ilmoittautumalla projektipäällikkö Hanne Tuomaiselle sähköpostitse i-hatuom(at)microsoft.com.
Biznes-aamupäivät järjestetään:
Tiistaina 18.8. ja 20.10. ja 1.12. klo 9-11.30 Microsoftilla, Keilaranta 7, 02150 Espoo.
Ideana on tarjota mahdollisuus verkostoitua, luoda yhteyksiä ja kuulla bisnes-maailman tähtipuhujia.
Tarkempaa tietoa ohjelmasta, tapahtumien puhujista ja ilmoittautumisesta.
Microsoft Launches Tools For Startups - BizSpark
Last Friday, Microsoft launched a new program called Bizspark that offers startups of different ages and stages tools to take care of their software and hosting requirements. Technopolis Ventures, Veraventure, The Finnish Software Entrepeneurs Association and Venture Cup has partnered with Microsoft in Finland to accept participants into the program.
Startups must meet the following requirements to be accepted into the program:
- Be actively engaged in development of a software-based product or service that will form a core of its current or intended business
- Be privately held
- Be in business for less than 3 years and
- Have less than 1 million USD annual turnover.
Despite being a Mac fanatic, I have to give it to Microsoft for pulling this off. They are sponsoring a wide range of products that suit many companies working in the internet space especially. Also, the packages being offered are tailored for companies in different stages of their growth and thus are also bundled together with their capability to pay for the software.
For more information, visit Microsoft Bizspark. You can also find your partners in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Baltics through this link.
