Village Capital and IBM call on entrepreneurs to apply for investment readiness training, technical support, and mentorship.
Village Capital is calling on entrepreneurs in Europe and across the globe to join the 2023 IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator (HPA). Now in its fifth year, the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator has already supported close to 150 start-ups working on impactful datatech products.
Start-ups will benefit from one year of technical mentorship from IBM, investment readiness training from Village Capital with bespoke mentor and investor matching, as well as access to both IBM’s and Village Capital’s broader networks.
The 2023 programme will expand to support more companies working on impactful datatech products, and consist of three components.
A core cohort of up to 15 companies will receive one year of technical mentorship from IBM (including up to 120,000 US dollars of free IBM cloud credits), access to IBM’s network and a three-month intensive Village Capital Investment Readiness Accelerator with bespoke mentor and investor matching.
A secondary cohort named Friends of Hyper Protect, FoHP (up to 30 companies) will receive one year of quarterly technical mentorship from IBM (including up to 120,000 US dollars of free IBM cloud credits), access to IBM’s network and three months of tailored business support from Village Capital with a focus on milestone planning and investor matchmaking.
The third component is the DataTech for Good Coalition: A coalition on Village Capital’s Abaca platform that matches DataTech for good start-ups with like-minded investors and peers.
This virtual accelerator will take place between September and December 2023, and provide continued support into 2024.
Start-ups must be legally incorporated as a for-profit entity, using personally identifiable information to increase access to digital, financial, or healthcare services, under 10 million US dollars in yearly revenue, less than 10 years old, have good traction (this is not limited to revenue, but can include successful pilot studies, number of users, and/or strategic partnerships) and a founder or member of the exec team must be able to commit to attending every session. (Around 40 hours total between September and December 2023, three hour sessions).
Datatech continues to grow rapidly as it harnesses data analytics, AI, machine learning, and cloud computing to provide innovative solutions to improve access to services such as healthcare, digital assets and financial services.
However, datatech start-ups face significant challenges in their efforts to keep our data protected. The consequences for not properly securing this information can be enormous – as we’ve seen in a slew of recent examples that span from election misinformation, AI profiling and the hijacking of critical digital infrastructure, consumer data breaches, and the use or misuse of data has global consequences.
Many datatech start-ups lack the resources and expertise to implement robust data security measures, and comply with complex data privacy regulations, making programmes such as the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator essential in developing compliant and sustainable solutions.
By connecting start-ups to IBM’s market-leading security services and know-how, and to a rapidly-developing network of peers and funders, Village Capital provides its wealth of experience in taking companies to a level where their plans for innovative solutions are realised.
For more information about the programme, email: Lucia Prinz at [email protected].
This content has been produced in collaboration with a partner organisation through our Global Visibility Programme. Our programme helps companies boost their digital presence and strengthen the thought leadership of their experts. Find out more here.
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