Wallop, Skinkers, and ZenZui are in the news. They are all startups based on technologies from Microsoft Research Labs. Microsoft has a relatively new program called IP Ventures designed to license Intellectual Property to external companies. There are over 20 technologies available for license, and more are being added every week. Most often the technology is licensed to an existing company and incorporated into an existing product as an additional feature. However, sometimes a whole new company is established based on the technology. Here are three examples;

Wallop is a social networking site with breakthrough innovation and a unique business model. Wallop, an invitation-only network, combines social networking with a marketplace. Wallop is an entirely new way to find friends, build communities, and buy products and services from people in your community. Wallop was financed by Norwest Venture Partners, Bay Partners and Consor Capital.

Skinkers recently announced LiveStation which delivers live broadcast TV to your PC. LiveStation is built on two technologies from Microsoft’s Cambridge (UK) Research Lab, and is delivered on Microsoft’s new Silverlight technology with extraordinary quality and crispness. The company was funded by NewMediaSpark and is currently seeking second round funding.

  ZenZui is a revolutionary new visual interface for cell phones. ZenZui’s software uses up to 36 customizable “tiles” that offer one-click access to web content such as news, social networks, email, and interactive communications. The tiles can be customized to include your favorite sites and content. ZenZui was funded by Oak Investment Partners and Hunt Ventures.

There are lots of other technologies available for license. See the Microsoft IP Ventures site for a current list.