HP Startup Central is a new portal that launched today, offering developer programs and resources (such as Palm Developer Program, SnapFish Publisher Beta Program, AllianceONE partner program) for entrepreneurs. Whether you are interested in licensing intellectual property to/from HP, looking for startup discounts on HP products or just want to get involved in relevant events HP is sponsoring, HP Startup Central is the information hub for entrepreneurs.
HP’s Stephen DeWitt addressed the attendees at Incubate 2.0 today (see our related post here) about the launch:
Supporting startups is nothing new for HP, but the providing a portal of consolidated information from across HP certainly is. We like to think of it as a “411” for entrepreneurs.
Here are some interesting anecdotes from startups that have already benefited from some of the Startup Central offerings:
“We at Pandora know the many challenges facing startups today,” said Joe Kennedy, president and CEO, Pandora, the leading online and mobile music service. “We believe that HP Startup Central will be a great resource for all types and across all industries.”
"As one of the top 25 most engaging web sites in the US, we have seen extraordinary growth since our inception -- with more than 20 million users and hundreds of servers -- and HP has been with us from the beginning," said Geoff Cook, CEO and co-founder of myYearbook. "When starting out, your early decisions are critical to long-term success. By partnering with HP as a datacenter technology provider, we've been able to keep our focus where it should be, on building out new products and attracting users."
“By licensing HP intellectual property around thermal inkjet technology, we have developed a superior drug delivery system that enables the painless, controlled release of drugs in a single patch applied to the skin,” said John O’Dea, chief executive officer, Crospon. “Early access to this HP technology was a foundational event for our company, and we look forward to working with our pharmaceutical customers to get this breakthrough solution into the hands of those who need it.”
Also included in today’s announcement is the formation of the HP Startup Central Advisory Board, which helped develop the HP Startup Central resource infrastructure and is chaired by legendary Silicon Valley angel investor, Ron Conway. The 20-member board was formed to better connect entrepreneurs with high-value opportunities from HP.
As Conway says, “HP has created a single place that emerging startups from around the world can go to fast-track their development and realize their goals for market success.”
Interested in following the conversation at Incubate 2.0? Be sure to check out the live stream here: http://links.startupcause.org/Incubate20_live.
