Disruptive South African tech start-ups have been headlining news for several years. In a move to contribute to the ongoing growth of this entrepreneurial community, Tarsus on Demand is launching a competition for independent software vendors (ISVs).

The competition, which kicked off on 1 September 2020,  will give the winner a go-to-market strategy for their existing software solution.

Launching in a time when many small and micro enterprises need a little love, the competition will single out the best solution built on Microsoft Azure.

“The competition aims to help our ISVs unlock their business potential and scale their offering with Azure,” says Chantelle Ashman, ISV lead at Tarsus on Demand. “Our Azure experts will work with the winner to develop a practical action plan to take their offering to market and increase revenue through new customer acquisition.

“ISVs are pushing the boundaries of innovation to drive increased value to customers and we aim to provide the expertise required to rollout successful solutions.”

Adopting an effective business model is a critical step to success for entrepreneurial ISVs. Profitability is challenging due to market demands and the required investments to develop software.

As part of the competition, Tarsus on Demand has created an online community for ISVs and start-ups to gain Azure skills and expertise, as well as insights on business strategies.

The community will also give them the opportunity to network with like-minded people.

Tarsus on Demand’s Microsoft-based cloud offerings enable businesses to deploy, optimise and scale quickly and efficiently. The benefits include the ability to attract new customers, access the partner marketplace, and lower operating costs.

“Our goal is to help ISVs across the lifecycle of digital transformation, taking into account their business model, customer needs and vision,” says Ashman. “As the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) of the Year award winner for 2018 and 2019, we can help ISVs grow their business by providing exclusive tools, resources, and support. We encourage ISVs to see for themselves the great value that cloud can bring to their business.”

To be eligible to win the competition, entrants must be onboarded as a Tarsus on Demand partner and have an existing solution ready to be rolled out. The solution must make use of and include Azure as a platform. The winner will be chosen by the online community through a voting process and will be announced on 11 December 2020.

The winning business must also agree to work with the Tarsus on Demand’s marketing team and to receive communication from the company.