Malta’s Microsoft Innovation Centre has seen more than 500 developers and IT specialists, 3,000 Youth Spark programme students and 1,000 jobs tied to the Microsoft Partner Ecosystem. But perhaps the centre’s biggest achievement is that it has helped build 60 new start-ups.
Inaugurated in February 2013 and located at Skyparks in Luqa, the Microsoft Innovation Centre is one of 120 centres Microsoft has established worldwide with the intent of offering a contact point where young people, entrepreneurs and businesses can meet Microsoft and explore new opportunities that could be leveraged into concrete business projects.
“The MIC in Malta was set up as a catalyst to bring Microsoft and Maltese specialists and business entrepreneurs into closer collaboration. We facilitate collaboration between government, academics and industry participants to generate innovative research, technology and software solutions,” said the centre’s business development manager Edward Portelli.
“The MIC provides a start-up programme for budding entrepreneurs, giving them access to the latest development and infrastructure tools from Microsoft. Cloud services worth in excess of €6,000 per year are also provided for start-ups through the brand’s Biz Spark programme. The MIC also offers technology consultancy, co-working space, meeting rooms and access to resources through its collaboration with a growing list of partners such as BMIT, Go, PWC, Demajo Group, Newtech and the University of Malta,” he added.
This is why the MIC was set up in the first place. “As Microsoft, we wanted to bridge the gap between Maltese specialists and business entrepreneurs. At a time when many countries are looking at youth and innovation as powerful economic drivers, Microsoft looks at the great potential of start-ups. Start-ups create jobs and encourage innovation, adding more value to the economy. We are also aware that achieving scale is becoming a requirement in today’s start-up scene and that access to finance is a critical resource needed to finance investment. Together with both local and foreign Microsoft partners, the MIC helps start-ups to access sources of finance,” Mr Portelli explained.
Start-ups join the Biz Spark programme, gaining access to all of Microsoft’s development and infrastructure tools needed to run the business. Advice is also provided on the best use of tools to cater for the start-up’s specific needs, such as Visual Studio, Windows Server and Operating system, SharePoint, SQL Server and Office.
Start-ups create jobs and encourage innovation
“The Start-up programme has a duration of three years, which is normally the time needed to develop an idea, launch and start gathering the first clients. After three years, the company is still supported by MIC through various training sessions and events. Also, through the Microsoft Partner Programme, an organisation can still benefit from software and hosting.”
A company Microsoft considers to be a success story is Booking & Co. Launching its product addaJet.com in 2010, it is a leading Maltese expert company in travel technology and has a portfolio of over 400 hotels across Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region. In Malta the company is a market leader with over 40 local properties in its portfolio.
“I never planned to manage a development team, but when the right people came, I took the plunge and today I don’t look back,” said its co-founder Clifton Dingli Bennetti.
“At MIC, we found all the technology and logistical support start-up companies get to find when starting off. We managed to secure a strong foothold because, unlike other companies that try to source and fight competitors, we sought to collaborate with them and offer something unique. Our operations grew tenfold in a matter of a few years and from the Biz Spark programme we moved on to Biz Spark Plus,” Mr Dingli Bennetti said.
Another interesting start-up supported by the centre is Somnium, which registered with Microsoft Biz Spark with plans to release a number of applications under its brand.
Isaac Sant from Somnium said: “Being hosted at the MIC was a huge learning experience as we got all the technical support and help we needed in the formation of the company. The first application, which most likely will be released as a private beta around August, is called Empwrd. This will make use of game mechanics to motivate, empower and engage employees in their daily duties at their workplace. A number of studies suggest that game elements in non-game contexts result in positive effects,” Mr Sant said.
Mr Portelli went on to add that the centre’s aim was to keep supporting innovation through development of skills. The centre will serve as a hub where people meet to share ideas and experiences. At
“Ultimately, the MIC’s scope is to support the country in its quest to further establish the IT sector as a main driving force for the economy,” he said.