by Andrew Ritosa
Everyone in the world knows of Microsoft. From software, to computers, to phones, to Xbox, we have all come into contact with their products in one form or another. Just imagine for a moment, what the world would be like if Microsoft never came to be.... You see it too? That's right, Apple would have just been the dominant operating system instead and we'd all be carrying around iPhones and iPads... Oh yeah... that is still happening... But would that really be the only difference? What Microsoft has done is more than just make a popular operating system, it created the world's most popular "network". You see, they believe in the "network effect", the idea that by collaborating and offering their experience and cooperation with other developers to create products on their platform, they will enact change quicker and become the preferred partner.
Their incubator is one way that they continue to build their network. They invest in and foster young companies to grow and scale to the point where they can be on their own. It means so much more to an investor or a bank that you have the backing of Microsoft. On their own, small startups have very little hope of getting a loan or an investment without some kind of sure guarantee of success, but with a tech giant as a partner, it's almost a no-brainer.
After seeing the incubator, we got a tour of the rest of their brand new building, which is one of the first LEED Gold certified buildings in Chile. The interesting thing about their space is that there are no dedicated offices, but mostly open space or private meeting rooms. This kind of environment encourages collaboration and creativity by eliminating the "closed off" feeling of a cubicle. Lastly, we got to speak with one of their passionate general managers about the "network effect" and their plans in Chile.
Everyone in the world knows of Microsoft. From software, to computers, to phones, to Xbox, we have all come into contact with their products in one form or another. Just imagine for a moment, what the world would be like if Microsoft never came to be.... You see it too? That's right, Apple would have just been the dominant operating system instead and we'd all be carrying around iPhones and iPads... Oh yeah... that is still happening... But would that really be the only difference? What Microsoft has done is more than just make a popular operating system, it created the world's most popular "network". You see, they believe in the "network effect", the idea that by collaborating and offering their experience and cooperation with other developers to create products on their platform, they will enact change quicker and become the preferred partner.
Their incubator is one way that they continue to build their network. They invest in and foster young companies to grow and scale to the point where they can be on their own. It means so much more to an investor or a bank that you have the backing of Microsoft. On their own, small startups have very little hope of getting a loan or an investment without some kind of sure guarantee of success, but with a tech giant as a partner, it's almost a no-brainer.
After seeing the incubator, we got a tour of the rest of their brand new building, which is one of the first LEED Gold certified buildings in Chile. The interesting thing about their space is that there are no dedicated offices, but mostly open space or private meeting rooms. This kind of environment encourages collaboration and creativity by eliminating the "closed off" feeling of a cubicle. Lastly, we got to speak with one of their passionate general managers about the "network effect" and their plans in Chile.