Esri Startup Program Onboarding Orientation Blog Series

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11-11-2015 10:01 AM
Katie_Decker
Esri Contributor
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Esri Startup Program Onboarding & Orientation Blog Series:

Carefully read through this Esri Startup Program blog series to help you succeed. The focus audience for this blog is primarily accepted and actively enrolled Esri Startup Partners but we encourage prospective applicants to review the content prior to applying. The series covers a high-level orientation and guides to get started on the following topics:

For a bit of background on Esri and the Startup Program, continue reading to learn more.

Who is Esri?

Esri is the market leader in geospatial mapping technology and is used by more than 350,000 organizations worldwide. Our platform delivers location-based solutions for the cloud, mobile, desktop, and server. Learn more about our products, esri.com/software/arcgis and developer resources, developers.arcgis.com.

  • Established: 1969
  • HQ: Redlands, CA, USA
  • Revenues: $1+ bn
  • Employees: 5,000+ from 70+ countries
  • Offices: 49 offices worldwide, including 11 R&D centers, and regional offices in the USA
  • Partners: 2,500+ across the world
  • Users: Over 300,000 organizations (including 90% of Fortune 100 companies, most national governments, 30k+ cities and local governments, in all 50 US states, 12k+ universities, and 12k+ nonprofits)

What is the Esri Startup Program? esri.com/startups

An exclusive global program to build partnerships with startups committed to embedding to extending ArcGIS mapping and location within their software or content offerings. Esri helps entrepreneurs starting technology product businesses succeed by giving them discounted or no-cost up-to three-year access to ArcGIS software, location services, dev tools (SDKs, APIs), training, technical support to scale development of an ArcGIS-aligned solution or content offering. 

Upon completion of an Esri-integrated minimum viable product (MVP), we offer various co-marketing and sales enablement benefits to gain exposure and grow your business. Unfortunately, we do not support co-development; we would look to your company to lead development, go-to-market, and maintain your solution, either on your own or via consultancy support.

Program Qualifications:

Esri reserves exclusive rights for determining eligibility. At a minimum, your startup must:

  • Primary business-building software products or content (not offering consulting services/project-based work).
    • (Companies must be engaged in developing an offering that will form a core piece of current or intended business, that is integrated and aligned with Esri's ArcGIS systems)
  • Be founded less than five years from the date of application, and generate less than $2 million in annual revenue at the time of program entry.
  • Be strategically aligned with Esri and ArcGIS systems and seeking long-term partnership, see qualifications for the program.

How do you select members? What are the expectations of accepted startups?

The program selects technology-focused startups based on their ability to articulate their product idea and product-market fit. Beyond the minimum qualifications, we’re seeking startups who will grow into the next generation of Esri partners. We expect startups to be committed to developing and providing an offering technically aligned to ArcGIS, where real business value is delivered to markets. 

This means you demonstrate and support the following throughout our partnership:  

  • Esri basemaps included on presentation layers  
  • Solutions developed on the most current version of ArcGIS
  • Create and register Esri web maps, apps, and content
  • Use ArcGIS as the system of record to store & maintain geographic information
  • Integrations with Esri user’s ArcGIS systems
  • Leverage unique ArcGIS identities (named user model) for everyone accessing the platform
  • Ensure customer success by providing initial and ongoing guidance, long-term support, and returns on their technology investments 
  • Commitment to support the GIS community

When you apply, consider,

  • How is your solution going to drive adoption of the ArcGIS platform?
  • How can Esri help you drive greater adoption of your solution?

To apply, visit, esri.com/startups.

About the Program:

  • Founded by Esri in 2012 to offer tools and support to help startups succeed.
  • No cost, up-to three year program provides online services, software, support, and training to help jumpstart product development.
  • Hundreds of startups from across the globe are enrolled in the program.
  • Access to Esri’s global community of over 300,000 clients, 3,500+ Esri employees, selling into 100+ countries serving customers across all 7 continents.
  • Members join as a Startup Partner in the Esri Partner Network (EPN), a network of more than 2,500+ partners worldwide.
  • Includes opportunities for co-marketing and networking with industry experts.

Meet the Esri Startup Program Team:

We’re an agile team with a virtual team that spans the globe. We work to help incubate the new wave of entrepreneurs working with Esri and the ArcGIS platform. You can always reach our team by emailing, startups@esri.com.

Why does Esri have the Program?

Esri is committed to equipping startups with the necessary GIS technology to realize their product and business development goals on their own terms and in the shortest amount of time. Through the Startup Program, Esri’s goals are to:

  • Help innovative software companies gain valuable experience and expertise in Esri technologies, with no upfront costs.
  • Stimulate solutions for web, mobile, or desktop and promote innovation and interoperability.
  • Support the broadest possible startup audience in a way that complements their values and the organizations that support them.
  • Help startups establish connections with Esri’s global customer base, thriving partner network, and enable co-marketing opportunities.

We help startups go-to-market in every country and every sector around the world. Learn more about the different markets work with Esri Industries

How can I Engage with the Esri Startup Community?

To apply visit, esri.com/startups.

 

Next Blog in Series: Program Benefits

1 Comment
LarsSchmitz
Occasional Contributor III

This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it to any startup interested in or about to apply for the Esri Startup Program.

About the Author
Marketing and technology entrepreneur for the Esri Startup Program. A global program that helps software startups succeed by giving them free three year access to Esri's ArcGIS online services, software development tools, ready-to-use content, training, technical support, global partnership opportunities, and co-marketing to help entrepreneurs starting technology product businesses with a mapping and location component. I build relationships and business with startups, Esri Partners, customers, accelerators and incubators to help them grow, thrive, and leverage the Esri ArcGIS Platform.