At the recent FinTech Generations conference on June 12, IBM, IBM Alpha Zone, Queen City Fintech, and MEDICI together announced a call for entries for the all-new IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator in Charlotte. Applications for the program are open through July 31.
Open to entrepreneurs all over the world, the accelerator program aims to help startups that may not have access to the resources necessary for success. The program offers access to IBM’s LinuxONE platform, networking opportunities, travel assistance, and in-person demo days. With this global call for startup submissions, program manager and IBM Z influencer Melissa Sassi believes that the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator will boast a truly diverse and inclusive cohort by September 2019.
There are additional offerings that make the accelerator set apart, like its virtual and in-person mentorship offerings via Queen City Fintech’s network of more than 300 industry experts.
“We have a wide variety of available mentors through our network, and Charlotte has been exceptional at providing entrepreneurs with trusted resources to help them achieve sustainable growth,” said Nat Clarkson, investment advisor at Queen City Fintech.
These mentorships, which include regular insights from IBM’s team, span a year of the accelerator’s two-year program.
Sassi added that the accelerator will provide travel assistance to out-of-state or foreign countries who need to attend the program’s four in-person demo days during the week of November 11, 2019.
“The travel assistance will vary from startup to startup since the flights for someone coming from California will be much different from those coming in from, let’s say, Nepal,” Sassi said.
Recognizing & Reaching Global Talent
The IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator in Charlotte isn’t the only of its kind; similar IBM programs exist globally. In fact, Sassi recently returned from Tel Aviv, Israel, where the IBM Alpha Zone program runs – a program she was able to see firsthand.
“There’s so much innovation that’s happening in Tel Aviv and Israel in general — especially from a technology perspective. When I looked at the cohort graduating from the IBM Alpha Zone accelerator program based out of Israel, it really made me excited about what we’re starting here in Charlotte.”
Sassi began development on what became this Queen City-based program when she joined IBM on January 19. For her and her team, choosing Charlotte as its home made sense.
“[The city] really is one of the largest banking hubs in America, ranked number two right behind New York,” Sassi explains. “It made sense for us based on our application criteria and Charlotte’s startup ecosystem to have the program based here.”
IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator Program Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the program, startups must meet the following qualifications:
- Must be within fintech or healthtech space
- Must be less than five years old
- Must have less than $1 million in revenue
- Must have a website and email address
- Willingness to adopt LinuxONE technology into their operations
Sassi emphasized the importance of the LinuxOne platform, the capabilities of which largely informed IBM’s decision to pursue a fintech/healthtech accelerator program. Specifically, the tool offers encryption and security capabilities to users while they scale their companies.”
“We wanted to make our messaging clear so that we’re getting the applicants who would benefit most from LinuxONE capabilities,” explains Melissa Sassi, IBM startup program manager. “However, any startup that feels they could benefit from LinuxONE encryption and cryptographic security can and should apply.”
IBM and its partners will announce the 15 startups chosen for the program this September. To find out more about eligibility requirements for the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, visit the company website.
