Early-stage, next generation fintechs are the target of the new accelerator program launched by IBM this week: The IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator Powered by IBM LinxuOne. Selected companies will collaborate with IBM and its partners, IBM Alpha Zone, Queen City Fintech, and MEDICI as they work to turn their startups into “sustainable and scalable companies.”
A total of fifteen early-stage, pre-Series A startups from both fintech and healthtech will be selected for the program. The application window closes at the end of July, and companies are expected to be selected in September. Later that fall, startups will participate in an in-person workshop event where they will have the opportunity to demo their solutions before an audience of IBM partners, customers, and investors.
IBM will provide the companies with a virtual mentorship of monthly one-on-one and quarterly all-hands check-ins for two years after completing the program. The startups will also benefit from a one-year business mentorship, with monthly and quarterly consultations, and the opportunity for the startup to participate in a second in-person demo day.
Companies in the program will be able to access technical workshops from IBM, and take advantage of a 300+ member network of business mentors and technical support. Startups will also have access to up to $10,000 a month in IBM cloud technology credits that can be applied each month to access IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services. Up to $120,000 in credit can be earned by startups by the end of the program.
IBM will leverage its LinuxONE server platform to power IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services and provide the kind of highly secure environment necessary for fintech and healthtech companies that need to protect sensitive data in cloud native apps. The highly scalable platform will also ensure that program participants will enjoy maximum uptime and availability.
IBM has been a Finovate alum since 2016 when it demonstrated its Client Insight for Wealth Management solution. The company has also been a participant in our developers conferences, presenting the Implementation of the Hyperledger Project at IBM with Blockchain as a Service at FinDEVr Silicon Valley 2016. Most recently, IBM Security demonstrated its IBM Trusteer New Account Fraud solution at FinovateEurope 2018.