So I just started a business with a partner and we plan to release a .net based product, a component, within a few months. We expected to join Microsoft's Partnership program to enjoy the perks, but mainly for the MSDN Universal subscription and VS.Net that comes with it. Given that both my partner and I are MCPs we could have signed up as basic MS Partners for $1400. But the new Empower program (http://members.microsoft.com/partner/isv/empowerFAQ.aspx) seems designed specifically for small ISVs like us. For $750 we can get access to

Up to five (5) software licenses for:
Microsoft Windows® XP or 2000 Professional
Microsoft Office XP (Premium or Developer Edition)

One (1) software license and up to five (5) Client Access Licenses (CALs) for:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server (Standard or Advanced Edition) or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (Standard or Enterprise Edition)
Microsoft Exchange 2002 Server (Standard or Enterprise Edition)
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (Standard or Enterprise Edition)
Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server

MSDN® Universal Subscription (Development & Testing license)
MSDN Online Managed Support Newsgroup (English Only)

Not bad. That's a hell of a lot of stuff for just $750. I probably sound like a shill for MS, but I was just stoked because this will save us a few grand in software costs for the first year. And as they say - money saved is money earned. Especially on our tiny out-of-pocket budget.