I’ve been asked to speak at a retreat for a group of senior Microsoft technologist next week. I presume their first, second and third choices fell through, but I’m looking forward to it regardless. They’ve specifically asked me for a read on trends we’re following at OATV and a pulse on how Microsoft is perceived by start-ups. I’ve got the first part covered, but I’m hoping to solicit feedback from y’all on the second.

So, the question I want to explore with them is: does Microsoft matter to start-ups? To get a gauge for that, I’d love to have you repsond to the following questions in the comments (or, you can send it to me directly at: bryce@oatv.com):

1. Do you use any Microsoft products in your applications or services?
2. Do you consider Microsoft a competitor in your target markets?
3. Do you see Microsoft as a valuable partner for you? If so, have you had success in partnering with them? If not, why?
4. What could Microsoft do work more closely with the start-up community?

The answers to the above may be different for consumer vs. enterprise focused start-ups, and I’d love to tease that out if the distinction is relevant to your experience specific to Microsoft.

They’re still deciding whether I can share the slides I put together for the conference, but I plan to share my findings in whatever form I can given the internal nature of the presentation.

Looking forward to sharing your feedback with the team at Microsoft!