This is just a quick post to highlight that Microsoft BizSpark and local Australian BizSpark Champ Catherine Eibner (i.e. me!) have been mentioned in an article on TheNextWeb. The Next Web is a fantastic site that culminates technology information from around the world – and has a special focus on Entrepreneurism, both locally & from overseas sources.
The article by Kim Heras itself mentions some recent events and talks about how Microsoft is Ramping up its investment in the Australian Software Economy :)
I am noticing a growing trend in the number of startups in Perth! And not to be outdone by other cities – it seems that every time we run events elsewhere, it is the Perth contingents job to ensure that we know that it’s their turn to host an event next!!
I am very happy to announce that that time has now arrived! :)
BizSpark Azure Startup Camp is coming to Perth!
The event is focused on Microsoft’s Cloud offering Azure and in a moment of planning excellence the event is taking advantage of the fact that the Azure Discovery Roadshow hits Perth the same weekend! So not only can you attend the deep dive technical day that explains the underlying technical aspects & business value of Azure – you also then get the following 2 day weekend to use the newly acquired skills to build an application!
So if you have any interest in finding out more about the Cloud offerings and its ultimate potential to fast track business growth – you need to attend this weekend!
You also have the benefit of learning from Technical and Business Experts while networking with other Entrepreneurs. At the end of the weekend, you will have the opportunity to present your business idea to Investors and Venture Capitalists.
Microsoft BizSpark Start Up Camps give you a chance to get hands on training by attending a Skills Ramp Up Pre Day , then use your new skills to build an application – over a Weekend at the Start Up Camp! With help on hand and the technical skills you learn, you can take your idea to a functioning proof of concept or even fully functioning application in just a few days!
We ran an Azure Start Up Camp in Sydney earlier this year and all involved found attending the event invaluable! You can read more about it here:
Places are limited so please register!
Azure Discovery Day (Select Perth Option)
Burswood Convention Centre Perth
Great Eastern Highway
Burswood, Perth
Friday 3rd December
· Note for your team to attend the Start Up Weekend – at least one developer MUST attend the Pre day!
The pre day technical training is targeted at developers and Business Decision makers. The content covered includes a Cloud Computing overview, understanding the pricing model and how to get started building applications on Azure & SQL Azure. This event is presented by Graham Elliott as part of the Discovery Days roadshow that is travelling around Australia.
Please Register here if you will be attending the Deep Dive:
Start Up Camp
Now you have the skills – it’s time to use them to Build an app!
The weekend workshop is all about you building something that you’d like to take to market. You can work by yourself or in teams, MVP Steve Nagy, Microsoft’s Evangelist Catherine Eibner as well as Microsoft’s ISV/Solution Partner Manager Mike Heald plus a handful of local technical experts will be there to help you! At the end of the weekend, present your work to the judging panel of experts & investors to receive feedback & prizes.
Prerequisites:
To attend you must:
Have AT LEAST 1 developer in your team that has attended the Azure Discovery Pre day or who already has experience in developing Applications for Azure.
Be a member of Microsoft BizSpark (You will be asked to provide your BizSpark ID in your registration). www.microsoft.com/BizSpark
The Startup Camp is being held at Perth Clifton’s Office.
Azure Discovery Day
We look forward to seeing you there!
PS – please register soon as places are limited
Are you interested in Windows Phone 7 Development? Do you already have your killer App in mind and want to get support while you build it? Do want to learn from Technical and Business Experts? Do you want the opportunity to present your business idea to Investors and Venture Capitalists while networking with other Entrepreneurs?
If you answered Yes to any of these questions, then BizSpark Camp is for you!
You can see the great results of the Phone 7 BizSpark Camp we ran in Melbourne just a few months ago here:
The pre day technical training is targeted at developers wanting to Ramp up their skills on Phone 7. Nick Randolph will be taking you through a fast tracked version of his Windows Phone Deep Dive Workshops: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/dglover/archive/2010/09/09/windows-phone-7-deep-dive-workshops-sept-2010-mlb-syd-adl-bne.aspx
To get attend the pre day, you need Silverlight/WPF, C# .NET Framework skills and you should have completed a subset of hands on labs from the following:
The workshop will be run by Nick Randolph from BuiltToRoam. Nick is a Microsoft Mobility MVP (Most Valuable Professional) and he has considerable experience in the mobile and development industry.
The weekend workshop is all about you building something that you’d like to take to market. You can work by yourself or in teams, Nick Randolph (http://www.builttoroam.com) Microsoft’s Evangelists Dave Glover, Catherine Eibner plus a handful of local technical experts will be there to help you! At the end of the weekend you will be invited to present your work to the judging panel of experts & investors to receive feedback & prizes.
Have AT LEAST 1 developer in your team that has attended the Skills Ramp Up Pre day or who already has experience in developing Applications for Phone 7.
Attending the XAPFest in your city is one of the best way for you to test your Windows Phone 7 application on a real device.
The Australian Developer Platform & Evangelism team is running a PDC 2010 Roadshow. As part of this event Dave Glover is presenting the Phone 7 update to give you the latest news on Phone 7 and giving tips on how to build & sell Phone 7 applications.
In each city they will be visiting, Dave has kindly agreed to lock out a few hours in the afternoon once he has finished his presentations to allow local developers to meet him, ask questions and test their applications on Real Phone 7 devices.
This is a limited time & there are a limited number of devices so if you want to test your Phone 7 Application on a real Device – Be Quick and reserve your space in the XAP Fest!
Bring your XAP, your laptop & be ready to go! :-)
Don’t forget to be part of the full PDC10 experience! You should also make sure to register to attend the morning sessions of the Roadshow event to learn how you can better leverage platforms such as Windows Azure and Windows Phone 7. This is a great opportunity for your business to capitalise on the knowledge of Microsoft experts and get your questions answered about the latest platforms such as Windows Azure. See more info here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-au/aa570302.aspx
XapFest Registration:
Perth - 5 November 3:00 – 5:00
Register Here >
Enex100 Perth Seminar Room, Level 3 100 St Georges Terrace Western Australia 6000 Australia
Adelaide - 10 November 3:00 – 5:00
Microsoft Office Adelaide Auditorium, Level 26, Santos House 91 King William Street Adelaide South Australia 5000 Australia
Brisbane - 12 November 3:00 – 5:00
Microsoft Office Brisbane Theatre 1, Level 9, Waterfront Place 1 Eagle Street Brisbane Queensland 4000 Australia
Sydney - 16 November 3:00 – 5:00
Microsoft Office Sydney Theatre 3 1 Epping Road North Ryde, Sydney New South Wales 2113 Australia
Melbourne - 18 November 3:00 – 5:00
Microsoft Office - Melbourne Exhibition Room, Level 5 4 Freshwater Place Southbank, Melbourne Victoria 3006 Australia
Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to be involved in the 4th Sydney Start Up Weekend. The idea is something that was kicked off by local entrepreneur Bart Jellema and with 3 Sydney & 2 Melbourne based Start Up Weekend events behind him already (although he claimed we would all learn as we went) it was clear his energy and passion would keep the teams on track for the weekend! With the extra support of Patrick Driessen, owner of Seed Accelerator to further support the teams with his business acumen and ensure things moved along according to schedule.
Kick Off!
On Friday night, things kicked off at 6pm and people were grouped into teams with strangers. By 11pm that night, each person had pitched an idea and then the teams each picked their favourite and kicked of development! Not much sleep was had between then and Sunday night! I spent a few hours with the teams midway through Saturday and got to chat to them all about Microsoft BizSpark, then hear the initial pitches being practiced as the ideas & the applications started to come together.
1 Day in:
The teams each then had to put together a Press release & deliver it to press by Saturday night! Less than 24 hours since their idea development had commenced.
The results of this can be seen on Bart’s blog here:
DealPinch Press Release: Stealing the deals so you don’t have to
MyMediStats Press Release: Take Control of Your Health Records
uInfluence.me Press Release: Get a recommendation at uinfluence.me
DateRate Press Release: Feedback from your Dates, Learn to Read Minds
TrendingLimit Press Release: Startup provides innovative solution to information overload problem
iapps4.me Press Release: iapps4.me launches a platform to turn fantastic iphone app ideas into reality
Gradega.me Press Release: Life is a game – where do you stand?
(I cant seem to spot the PR releases for QRmeHere or PolyCloset? If someone has a link please feel free to add it in the comments! )
The Result:
By the 2pm Sunday the teams pitched their working applications to a full room and panel of Judges that included Venture Capitalists, a HP Executive and me! :)
In the end, I have to say how impressed I was with the quality of the applications that were built, and the thought & planning that went into how to monetize the business ideas around the applications themselves. Seeing the changes over the 2 days as the ideas were refined & the applications developed was a testament to the idea of Start Up Camp. The teams improved with each of the many pitches they delivered.
It was a tough call, but after much animated discussions the 6 judges decided the winners. Even I was nervous about reading the winners out as I know how much work every single person put in over the weekend!
The top 3 and the Best Pitch winners will present at Sydney Start Up Networking event this week in Sydney that is occurring as part of Web Week.
Ultimately, the results were as follows:
1st Place. PolyCloset.com
2nd Place. QRmeHere.com
3rd Place. MyMediStats.com
Special Mentions:
Best Pitch – and certainly the most entertaining: http://daterate.com
Best Site Design: http://DealPinch.com
Overall some of the solutions were a bit “tongue-in-Cheek” but all showed amazing potential considering the time they had!
Not being a journalist myself, I think its best I now link to some great articles that have been published on the event by others:
http://thenextweb.com/au/2010/10/11/startup-camp-sydney-4-meet-the-startups/
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/geek-cupids-web-solution-for-lonely-hearts-20101011-16ewj.html
http://www.startupsmart.com.au/planning/2010-10-11/online-clothing-mix-and-match-idea-wins-startupcamp.html
Its a great time to be a Start Up in Australia! There is so much activity going on! Perth in particular seems to be a growing hub of energy! I have just head that local Web Incubator Pollenizer is running a Bootcamp specifically for start ups in Perth. Space is limited so get in Quick!
In a nut shell, it's a full-on, hands-on day of learning startups lessons and applying these to an idea, culminating in each person leaving with a clear customer development plan so their web startup can kick off and have the best chance of survival
It's $120 per person for the day or $480 for 5 people making it incredible value for the lessons you will be receiving!
See more details here:: http://www.pollenizer.com/services/bootcamp/perth-startup-bootcamp-october-2010/
The registration page : amiando.com/perthbc
Here’s some feedback from past participants
“As much as I thought we were focussed, we weren’t. And it was good to hear it. No matter how far down the track you are as a business, this workshop will make you stop and think about why you’re doing what you’re doing. We really needed that reality check and it was that reality check that was the best thing for us.” Jimmy Storier “The best thing about the workshop was that I got to talk through my plan with recognised industry experts and get direct feedback as well as the content of the workshop which was very relevant and useful as well.” Pete Sanders. “The best thing was the energetic way in which it was delivered and the honest feedback that was given.” Matthew
“As much as I thought we were focussed, we weren’t. And it was good to hear it. No matter how far down the track you are as a business, this workshop will make you stop and think about why you’re doing what you’re doing. We really needed that reality check and it was that reality check that was the best thing for us.” Jimmy Storier
“The best thing about the workshop was that I got to talk through my plan with recognised industry experts and get direct feedback as well as the content of the workshop which was very relevant and useful as well.” Pete Sanders. “The best thing was the energetic way in which it was delivered and the honest feedback that was given.” Matthew
See more here : http://www.pollenizer.com/services/bootcamp/bootcamp-feedback/
The is a fantastic opportunity to get access to this training specifically targeted at Start Ups!
In addition Microsoft will be running a Azure Cloud Start Up Camp in Perth on the weekend of the 4th/5th of December. (Details coming soon) Attend the Pollenizer workshop to give your start up an unfair advantage! :)
Across the weekend at Start Up Camp Sydney I was asked several times about the Microsoft Azure Cloud offering, and specifically if the teams could host their applications on Azure if they built them in Ruby On Rails. I couldn’t see any reason why not but decided to look into it a bit further when I got a chance.
I have been doing some specific research on it today and it turns out that the answer is a resounding: Yes!
Below are some links that explain how and also give some tips on lessons learnt while porting existing applications to Microsoft Azure.
These links are all taken from the very helpful post from the UK MSC Solution Development team: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mcsuksoldev/archive/2010/02/26/9969876.aspx who shares the savings they made and the helpful adapter they used that is available on GitHub.
Tushar Shanbhag talked about running MySQL on Windows Azure at the PDC last October.
Simon Davies blogged about getting up and running with Ruby on Rails on Windows Azure, and released a Sample Cloud Project.
Dominic Green recently discussed memcached on this blog.
Hopefully that answers the questions! :)
Abstract
Join us at the Azure Discovery Day in your city to learn about how you can get started using Windows Azure & SQL Azure today. This sessions is targeted towards helping you understand the opportunities for the cloud and Microsoft’s Cloud Computing offerings with the Windows Azure Platform.
The event will include a combination of presentation, demos and discussions presented by Azure Technical Evangelist Graham Elliott and if you are a BDM, TDM, Application Architect, Dev Lead or just interested in finding out more, register now!
Also at this event you will hear about the benefits of Mirosoft Platform Ready (MPR). Whether you're building simple add-ins, rich client applications, complex client and server solutions or planning your future with cloud services, via MPR you can access training, support, testing and marketing resources to help you take your solution to market faster.
Agenda
Time
Description
9-10AM
Microsoft Cloud Computing Overview
There has been a lot of buzz in the industry about “the Cloud” and “Cloud Computing”. In this session you will understand the concrete services that Microsoft is delivering to enable you to build applications that deliver more value for your customers and enable new opportunities for you as an ISV.
10:15-11:30AM
Cloud Computing Scenarios for ISVs
In this session you will learn about the common scenarios for using the Windows Azure Platform. We will talk about how you as an ISV can deliver solutions that are ready for the cloud, connected to the cloud, and delivered as a service. We will also show you how to move, enhance, and transform your existing applications.
12-1PM
Lunch
1-1:45PM
Understanding the Windows Azure Platform Pricing Model
2-3PM
Getting Started Building Applications for Windows Azure & SQL Azure
Next we will take you on a tour of building new applications for the Windows Azure Platform. In this presentation you will learn about the key concepts of Windows Azure and SQL Azure by seeing how to create, package, and deploy a simple application to the Windows Azure Platform using Visual Studio and the Windows Azure Portal.
3:15-4:15PM
Building SaaS solutions on the Windows Azure Platform
Next we will drill into the SaaS scenario and discuss key considerations when architecting SaaS solutions such as provisioning, multi-tenancy, management, and costs.
4:30-5:00PM
Closing
In the final closing session, we will call out some key resources that are available to help you get started with the Windows Azure Platform.
Fees
This event is brought to you by Metro - Microsoft’s Acceleration Program and is free of charge. However, delegates are responsible for booking and paying for their own travel and accommodation.
REGISTER NOW
Brisbane:
Thursday 25th November
Adelaide:
Tuesday 30th November
Perth:
Melbourne:
Tuesday 7th December
Sydney:
Thursday 9th December
Questions: Email
Important Information for Perth attendees
*Note that following this Day event in Perth will be an Weekend long event targeted at BizSpark Start Ups around building an application on Azure in a Weekend. There will be technical specialists on site to help with questions, and the opportunity to pitch your solution to a panel of judges for feedback as well as the opportunity to win Prizes. To enter, send your company details along with a Solution Overview, Key Windows Azure Scenarios, Target Industry, Company Size and Year Founded as well as details as how you heard about this event to caeibner@microsoft.com
More information on the Azure Start Up Camp in Perth to come shortly!