Microsoft Highlights Innovation in Second Round of Ingenuity Point Winners

REDMOND, Wash. — April 22, 2008 — The passion and development expertise of Microsoft Corp.’s partner community was recognized today as the company announced the second round of Gold Ingenuity Point winners in its worldwide contest for independent software vendors (ISVs). The three ISVs were chosen from entrants around the world that submitted solutions to address needs in education, healthcare and “clean” technology.

The Ingenuity Point competition provides ISVs with a platform to showcase their passion, their development expertise and the potential of software as they work on solutions that improve people’s lives and the planet. The winners of this round are the following:

  • Agilix Labs Inc. Agilix’s GoCourse Learning System allows teachers and trainers to build and manage media-rich learning content that delivers a structured, self-guided learning experience for students, whether online or offline. GoCourse Learning System also provides automated tools for grading and monitoring student progress. GoCourse is used by corporations, schools, universities and colleges in the United States, Brazil, China and Peru, with some deployments serving more than 10,000 users.

  • Green Building Studio Inc. This California-based ISV creates a building design analysis solution for architects, engineers and construction companies. Currently more than 6,000 users have registered on the Green Building Studio’s Web service to assess their building’s energy, water and carbon emission performance. The assessment, which previously could take several weeks, now uses today’s leading building information modeling tools and can be completed in a few minutes, and for a fraction of the cost. Green Building Studio is currently in the process of being acquired by Autodesk Inc., the world leader in 2-D and 3-D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets.

  • Lebab Systems. Based in Madrid, Spain, Lebab has developed an “interpreter to integration” solution that bridges the communications gap between medical staff and patients who speak different languages. Used for emergency care, surgical preparation and general family practice, the solution, which combines text and sound, includes a database of 70,000 medical questions that are recorded in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Romanian and Bulgarian. By eliminating the need for an interpreter, Lebab’s solution helps doctors more quickly diagnose health problems. It can add a greater level of privacy and trust in the doctor-patient relationship, regardless of cultural and linguistic barriers, thus increasing the satisfaction of patients and professionals.

Unlocking the Potential of Software

These three companies join the Gold Ingenuity Point winners from round one of the competition — Tobii Technology, TR Control Solutions and OSIsoft Inc. — as ISVs that have made a noteworthy contribution in fundamental areas such as increasing literacy, improving healthcare and taking care of the environment.

Rob Bernard, Microsoft’s chief environmental strategist and one of the judges of the Ingenuity Point contest, said that the work of these software companies demonstrates the impact being made by innovative software solutions. “Microsoft recognizes that improvements in education, healthcare and the environment require a significant amount of time and resources to develop applications, operating systems, interfaces and development tools — the fundamental building blocks to help shape the vision of developers and end users,” he said. “We are honoring these ISVs for demonstrating how the potential of technology can make a difference in our world.”

On May 19, the company will announce one of the six ISVs as the recipient of the Platinum Ingenuity Point Award. A representative from that ISV will serve as a guest judge in the global finals of Microsoft’s Imagine Cup 2008, held in Paris later this year.

More information on the ISVs, the Ingenuity Point contest and future competitions can be found at http://www.theingenuitypoint.com/main/default.aspx.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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