It's a great time for entrepreneurs in the cloud computing space. Despite continued economic headwinds, software companies of all sizes understand that cloud computing is a path for growth and commercial success (watch this video if you want to hear it first hand from a top Force.com intrapreneur).
This past week, we hosted the Round 1 Semi-finals of the Force.com 40 Innovation Showcase (think "American Idol" for partner applications built on Force.com). 13 companies presented 7-min demos in a lightning-round format to a panel of VCs and salesforce.com execs. The apps demoed spanned a dizzying array of business process and industries – from energy exploration/production to law firms to wineries. There are 2 more rounds so if you're a partner with a great Force.com app, nominate your company and compete for fame, just in time for Dreamforce 2009! And if you're interested in winning $50,000 cash, build a killer expense management app on Force.com and enter it by July 27th!
Interested in hearing more about how to build a cloud business? Come to the OPEN Silicon Valley conference tomorrow and say hello – I'll be on a panel to talk about entrepreneurial opportunities in the cloud. I've got a few free passes so reach out to mtrang at salesforce dot com ASAP and let me know if you'd like to attend!