Bringing innovative business software to market is a huge challenge, particularly for a development-focused startup organization.

If you've just built a better mousetrap, you'll definitely need to recruit some "early adopters" to become your first reference customers. Early adopters are the folks who are excited to be the first on their block with the latest, greatest gadget, and are usually tolerant of the bugs and glitches that accompany infant technologies.

But "tolerance" takes on a whole new meaning when you're selling business software with mission-critical implications. Even if your buyers are technology enthusiasts, the odds are good that their bosses are not! Your mission (which you have little choice but to accept) is to make your gadget-freak buyers into visionary heroes. And business heroes are only made by measurable, documentable business results.

So, as a better-mousetrap builder, you have to:

Only one problem: resources. The typical software startup consists of a few developers in a garage or loft somewhere. Yes, there was a brief period of time when anybody with an idea could get a check for a few million dollars, but we all know that window has closed. Now, as in the past, your first few reference customers will be hard-bought with sweat and blood. We'd argue that's as it should be.

A leading cause of mortality among business software startups is the problem of juggling priorities ... and dropping balls. Once you go from the "skunk works" into having actual customers, your priorities begin to include sales, support, customer service, general business management, and more. You start spending more time in meetings and less time with a keyboard and mouse. Usually something has to give, and there's really no good choice. Either you're left with unhappy customers who give you bad references, or you skimp on development and start losing the competitive race before it's even begun.

Cluestream offers an instant solution to the resource crunch. Our Innovation Support practice works with technology developers to market, sell, close, install, and support your new technology. We supply or arrange for whatever resources you need, but don't already have: marketing materials, documentation, contracts, office space, access to accounting and legal services, sales force, web presence, secure extranets, telephone support, email services ... the list goes on. Every thing that a business could possibly need to survive, Cluestream has access to, experience with, and can deploy in a cost-effective fashion.

Best of all, our Innovation Support structure allows us to do this without taxing your (possibly nonexistent) budget. The money to pay for the added resource power comes -- as it should -- out of the profits of successful operation. You realize massive savings by only paying the incremental and actual costs, never spool-up costs.

In short, you invest a little bit of effort forming a relationship with us, then you can rest easy and keep developing while we take the first step for you. As your cashflow grows, you can "insource" more and more activities, doing more direct business and less business through our partnership, until either your company is totally self-sufficient, or a financing event occurs.

If this sounds interesting, the next step is to fill out a partnership inquiry online. Or, if you would rather talk to a live human being first, just send an email to partner@cluestream.com.