Introducing the Jury for Microsoft TechSparks 2010

Important announcement: Change in TechSparks timings—Event registration at 1130 hrs and event starts at 1300 hrs

Microsoft Canaan TechSparks 2010, the Young Story event in partnership with CNBC-TV18 Young Turks, is starting 30 minutes earlier than planned. After lunch cum registration at 1130 hrs, the event start time has been advanced by an hour to 1300 hrs (1 pm) instead of 1400 hrs (2 pm) earlier. Please make note of the changed timings and plan your schedules to attend the event accordingly.

As the excitement builds, we have only 3 days to go. The 18 startups will battle it out for the top 5 spots in front of an eminent jury -- Sharad Sharma, Entrepreneur in Residence, Canaan Partners; Harish Gandhi, Executive Director, Canaan Partners; Girish Joshi, Head, Microsoft BizSpark program; Charles Assisi, Executive Editor, Forbes India; and Prashant Choksey, Cofounder, Mumbai Angels. The famous five men in the jury are known for setting excellence in standards in their chosen fields.

Sharad Sharma promotes product technology in the country using his offices as chair, NASSCOM Product Forum. As a domain expert, he lends the much needed expertise in the product technology space that he is part of for about 25 years now. His interview with YourStory gave an insight into this persistent force that stayed put in the product space when services were taking off and reaching global standards. His presence in the jury gives it the proper framework for evaluating technology startups.

Harish Gandhi lends the investor face to the jury. A telecommunications specialist actively engaged in VAS space during in his earlier assignment, Harish now looks after investments for Canaan. His perceptive insight and a thorough understanding of the turf give the jury a much-needed investor perspective.

Girish Joshi is the technology face of the jury. As the head of the Microsoft BizSpark program, where he is actively involved in promoting growth of startups, he would look at companies from the growth perspective. Do the companies have an ability to grow and prosper? Do they have the right fundamentals needed?

Award-winning journalist Charles Assisi, who won the Polestar award for excellence in technology journalism, will look at the pitches with hawk’s eye with a background of so many stories that he can related to about technology companies and perspectives. His view would provide an impassionate, unbiased, third eye to an otherwise jury filled with experts. He might see what the experts cannot.

Multifaceted Prashant Choksey, whose business interests span multiple domains, has been working with startups since 1990s. So his experience of working in various domains spanning retail, construction, chemicals, venture capital, and others would give an edge to the jury to identify the real eagles.

Visit the jury page of Microsoft Canaan TechSparks 2010 for the jury member profiles.

Register here for the event to not miss seeing these great men in action!