Access to Microsoft technologies for Finnish ICT companies

Press release 16.12.2005Sitra and Microsoft have agreed on cooperation for launching the Microsoft Intellectual Properties (IP) Ventures program in Finland. The program offers technical innovations developed in various Microsoft laboratories to Finnish ICT companies. This allows small, innovative enterprises to accelerate their market entry with technology building blocks from Microsoft IP’s added to their own innovations. The Microsoft IP Ventures program is administered by the Microsoft unit in Redmond (Washington). Sitra has been chosen as cooperation partner in Finland. This cooperation gives Finnish ICT companies a cutting edge to be among the first to choose the technologies to utilize. IPR’s to the Microsoft innovation can be obtained in many different ways. In addition to standard licensing, one interesting cooperation form is a partnership between the company and Microsoft. In some cases, Microsoft may consider taking an equity interest in a licensee as part of the transaction. This kind of cooperation with Microsoft may open up marketing possibilities as appropriate. Microsoft uses approximately 6 billion dollars each year in research and development in research centers and product groups situated all over the globe. This research produces a remarkable amount of such findings, which may not be developed into products or utilized commercially by Microsoft. Through the Microsoft IP Ventures program, Microsoft is willing to guide these research results to be evaluated and utilized by SME’s willing to cooperate. Sitra PreSeed Finance has a central role in organizing first round funding to technology companies, thus forming also a significant junction of ICT companies and investors. – We leaped at Microsoft’s proposition and offered our assistance in diffusing this kind of a technology cooperation model to the Finnish ICT industry. We believe that several Finnish companies may gain substantial research advantage through this cooperation scheme, and expedite their way to the international markets. Some may also get a chance to commercial cooperation with Microsoft through this, says Risto Kalske, Director of PreSeed Finance at Sitra. Additional information Risto Kalske, Director, PreSeed Finance, SitraPhone +358 9 6189 9412 Max Mickelsson, Government Sales Manager, LCA, Microsoft OyPhone +358 50 4317 018 LINKS http://www.sitra.fi/intro/eng http://www.microsoftipventures.com SITRA’S PRESEED SERVICE IN A NUTSHELL Organization: The Finnish National Fund for Research and Development (Sitra) is an independent public foundation under the supervision of the Finnish Parliament. Mission statement: PreSeed service offers screened, investment-ready growth companies as investment targets, primarily for private investors, i.e. business angels. Typically these investments are syndicated by several business angels. The investment capacity of investors committed to the INTRO network is around 50 million dollars at present. This financing often has a launching effect to a similar amount of external funding. This way we can already allocate over 100 million dollars to these companies. Service package: PreSeed service uses LIKSA, INTRO and DIILI as tools: · LIKSA is a joint form of preseed funding from Sitra and Tekes [National Technology Agency of Finland], for developing technology and competence oriented business ideas to investment ready business plans. http://www.liksa.info/eng · INTRO is a market place that brings investors, entrepreneurs and sales professionals together. http://www.sitra.fi/intro/eng · DIILI adds necessary personnel resources to the companies in the INTRO market place by bringing international sales professionals to the entrepreneur teams.www.sitra.fi/diili/eng. Interested? Please contact us at http://www.preseed.fi/eng