On BizSpark

You’ll remember that recently I reviewed Windows Phone 7 Mango from the perspective of an iOS guy, and actually came back pretty impressed with it.

You’ll also remember that through my company, Fuzzy Aliens Ltd, I offer app security services to mobile app developers. So far, that basically means iOS developers: in addition to being where I have most experience, I have punted around for Android clients and got exactly zero interest.

So I thought it would be useful to offer the same service for WP7. After all, Microsoft knows the bad press associated with having security fail on their platform, so should be welcoming of a security guy adding his biological and technological distinctiveness to their own. Not only that, but there will probably be a lot of line-of-business app developers out there who would appreciate mobile security knowledge.

Now the thing that puts me off is basically the cost. I own exactly one copy of Windows 7, and use the free Visual Studio Express. To meaningfully research and code for Windows Phone 7 I’d need another two Windows licences (£100-£250 each roughly depending on version) and Visual Studio Pro and MSDN (roughly £700), along with at least one handset (£300) and an App Hub membership (£60). Wow. Around £1500 just to dip my toe in untested waters.

Luckily, Microsoft have a plan designed to help. BizSpark ought to give me access to most of the above except the phone, in addition to training. It also offers that MS would put me in touch with potential clients and even investors, and could help with hosting costs for web services. The idea is that Fuzzy Aliens would get this stuff for free for a while, during which MS would help build the business. Then, once FZA “graduates” from the program, I get to keep all the software and MS have a new trusted partner.

Seems like a low-risk way to get into Windows Phone 7, and to grow my business which – while only six months old – is already showing signs that I need to find more clients from somewhere. So I signed up at around 16:15 today.

By 18:13 Microsoft had decided that:

it does not appear that you meet all the eligibility requirements at this time. To enter the program, your startup must be:

• Actively engaged in development of a software-based product or online service that will form a core piece of its current or intended business,
• Privately held,
• In business for less than 3 years, and
• Less than US $1 million in annual revenue

Well, in fact FZA meets all of those criteria. The basis of its business is secure software, and indeed I am currently (OK, I’m blogging – you see what I mean though) developing such secure software. Indeed I even help out the platform community for free by releasing some of this software here as open source.

The business is fully held by me, and has been operating for nearly six months. I would dearly love to have more than $1M of revenue, but it hasn’t happened yet.

So for whatever reason – though not one they care to tell me about – Microsoft has decided that they don’t want me joining their community. Given that this leaves me free to focus on making the iPhone a safer platform for its users, I don’t yet know which of us has lost out the most.