A major barrier to the adoption of the new online mapping services for commercial applications is the cost. Typical subscription costs are extremely high for small business startups.This stifles innovation - especially in the current economic climate. Microsoft's solution has been to expand their popular BizSpark program to include Virtual Earth. BizSpark members can now get a commercial Microsoft Virtual Earth account for 75% off (ie. $2000/annum).  There are some restrictions, and the BizSpark program is also only applicable for companies that are less than 3 years old and have less than $1 million in annual revenue.

Further details (including contact details) can be found in Chris Pendleton's announcement blog post:

BizSpark Program Changes Virtual Earth Licensing for Startups