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BizSpark is an innovative new program that unites startups with entrepreneurial and technology resources in a global community with a common goal of supporting and accelerating the success of a new generation of high-potential startups.

Microsoft is committed to helping entrepreneurs to transform their ambitions into sustainable, dynamic businesses and to foster innovation and entrepreneurialism. To this end, the BizSpark Program provides startups with software, support and visibility at a time when they are most valuable and least affordable-during their first three years, with no upfront costs and minimal requirements.

BizSpark gives startups fast and easy access to Microsoft's current full-featured development tools, platform technologies as well as production licenses to bring to market innovative and interoperable solutions for the next generation of user experiences.

Startups may enroll for the program by obtaining sponsorship from a designated BizSpark Network partner such as cmypitch.com

An eligible startup must have the following characteristics at the time of joining:

• You must be actively engaged in development of a software-based product or service that will form a core piece of its current or intended business and be privately held
• Have been in business for less than 3 years
• Have less than US $1 million in annual revenue
• To be eligible to use the software for production and deployment of hosted solutions, you must also be developing a new "software as a service" solution (on any platform) to be delivered over the Internet