Tag Archives: bizspark

Xtranormal: Movie-Making for Everyone

*Microsoft BizSpark One startup aims to make animated movies as easy as typing.*

REDMOND, Wash. — Xtranormal’s tagline, “If you can type, you can make movies,” describes both the company’s mission and how to use its text-to-speech system to create animated movies. The Microsoft BizSpark One member is working to transform movie-making into an everyday activity, as simple and commonplace as composing a text message.

“We want to make animated movies ubiquitous,” says Graham Sharp, COO of Xtranormal. “I’d like to see people using the Xtranormal platform like they use Microsoft Word: just opening a document and starting to type.” (more…)

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Microsoft Helps Imagine Cup Competitors Turn Golden Ideas into Golden Opportunities

*Some of the brightest young technologists in the nation visited San Francisco on Wednesday to share their ideas with venture capitalists, academics and media.*

SAN FRANCISCO – June 23, 2011 – A collection of students who want to change the world with technology pitched their ideas to Silicon Valley industry experts, academics, and media on Wednesday.

Several teams of students who will participate in the July Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals in New York City got to first showcase their projects to people who could help them refine their concepts, find markets for their ideas, and eventually find investors to provide the money they will need to turn their ideas turn into viable businesses. (more…)

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Mount Everest Made Easy

*BizSpark One startup PEAK 15 Systems powers unique travel experiences.*

REDMOND, Wash. — PEAK 15 Systems, a BizSpark One startup, provides tour operators with the software they need to build you the trip of a lifetime.

Anyone can go online to quickly purchase airline tickets or find a cheap hotel room, but when it comes to planning a truly unique travel experience, most people need the help of a travel professional. That’s where specialty tour operators come into play: They design specific types of trips or specialize in certain destinations, from Napa Valley food and wine adventures to luxury biking trips across Europe. PEAK 15 Systems, which builds software for tour operators, is the computing brain that helps to pull all the details together. (more…)

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Imagine Cup Alums Start Hot Social Gaming Company

*After competing in the 2004 Imagine Cup, a team from France started what would turn into one of Europe’s most popular social gaming sites.*  

Redmond, Wash., June 28, 2010 Six years ago, Vincent Vergonjeanne and a few college friends represented France at the Imagine Cup, the world’s largest student technology competition. After several days of presentations, they captured the top prize in the software design competition.

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