A strong panel of internet entrepreneurs and service providers spoke on the subject of market demand and entrepreneurial opportunities in the Software as a Service space at a meeting of the MIT Enterprise Forum New York City, last evening.
The approximately 60 attendees heard from six experienced individuals in the field who are working in various aspects of SaaS 2.0, or the second generation of this space.
"Since the late 1990s, the promise of SaaS for businesses has been to maximize business process quality and productivity with minimized IT departmental [capital expenditures] and personnel," the meeting's literature stated. "With some notable exceptions, big successes have been rare. Nevertheless, in the midst of an 'economic perfect storm,' market demand for the promise is greater than ever. Intensified market demand, along with enabling technological innovations such as cloud computing and Web 2.0, are igniting entrepreneurial efforts to deliver the promise of ... SaaS 2.0"
The session covered a number of topics, including:
SaaS Platforms: What are Microsoft and Google doing to create SaaS platforms that support ecosystems of independent SaaS providers?
SaaS Startups: How are two exemplary SaaS startups that target businesses, winning customers and making money: subscription services, advertising, or other?
Investors: From VC and investment banking perspectives, is SaaS 2.0 a field of dreams or a great opportunity?
The panel included: Harry Patz, vice president of Microsoft's Communications Sector Americas Region; Frank Fawzi, CEO, IntelePeer; Duke Chung, CEO, Parature; Scott Johnston, senior product manager, Google Sites; and Ben Boissevain, managing partner, Agile Equity. The moderator was Alan Mitchell, president, ARMAK & Associates.
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