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IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator

Cohort 5 & Friends of Hyper Protect II

  1. ABOUT OUR WORK
  2. ELIGIBLE STARTUPS MUST HAVE
  3. BENEFITS STARTUPS WILL RECEIVE
  4. PROJECT TIMELINE

About the program

IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator ‘22 is an investment-readiness and technical mentorship program, run in partnership with Village Capital.

The program supports impact-focused startups leveraging highly sensitive data to improve the quality of, and access to, digital, financial and healthcare services.

Learn about past Hyper Protect cohorts in 2020 and 2021. You may also register here for the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator Community for more information and easy answers to your questions.

Apply to Friends of Hyper Protect

Applications for Friends of Hyper Protect (FoHP) are still open! We’ve closed applications for Cohort 5 this year. However, applications for the Friends of Hyper Protect Cohort are open throughout the year. Read more about our “lighter touch” FoHP program below.

Cohort 5: 15 startups will join a three-month investment readiness accelerator from Village Capital alongside two years of monthly technical mentorship and support from IBM. You will spend 40+ hours meeting and conversing with a diverse group of founders as well as expert investors and mentors

Friends of Hyper Protect II: 30 startups will join this asynchronous accelerator from Village Capital alongside two years of quarterly technical mentorship and support from IBM. You will enjoy bespoke mentor and investor support and also meet and learn from founders from every part of the world.

All startups, in both cohorts, will receive IBM Cloud credits of up to $120,000.

Meet Cohort 5

Meet the Friends of Hyper Protect - Class 2

Advisory Board Members

Casey Lord

Casey Lord

Board Director, Finance Innovation Labs

Antonio Tombanane,

Antonio Tombanane

Managing Parter, GBE Connect & Founder, Tech Week Humber

Robert McLaws

Robert McLaws

Co-Founder & CEO, BurnRate.io

Alexei Stanislawski

Alexei Stanislawski

CEO maat.ai

Alan Greenberg

Alan Greenberg

Venture Partner, EDT Partners

Adam LG Ring

Adam LG Ring

Data Security Serial Entrepreneur

Mac	Conwell

Mac Conwell

Managing Partner, Rarebreed.vc

Vera Futorjanski

Vera Futorjanski

CEO & Founder, Veritas Ventures

Eligibility

We are seeking startups from North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, MENA, and Asia that:

• Are legally incorporated as a for-profit entity

• Use personally identifiable information to increase access to digital, financial, or healthcare services.

Under $15 million in revenue

Less than 10 years old

• Have some traction (this is not limited to revenue, but can include successful pilot studies, number of users, and/or strategic partnerships)

• Have positive social impact

Problem Statement

The amount of data that is being collected, analyzed, and stored by different organizations is growing at an exponential rate. In the last 10 years, the volume of data created, captured, and consumed worldwide grew by a staggering 3850%. This raises concerns for individual and business users on data protection, data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance. For example, to what extent do individuals have ownership over their data.

Businesses handling users’ data must act as data custodians (not owners) that maintain privacy, where client data is protected and data ownership is the sole right of users. Without secure data ownership, users not only lose potential benefits from their data to businesses, it also restricts their ability to access better and more inclusive services.

Over the past three years, the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator worked with startups that utilize sensitive data and Personally Identifiable Information (PII), to create, improve, and increase users’ access to financial, healthcare, and other services. Solutions include unified APIs to foster financial inclusion in Africa, OpenAPIs to democratize access to affordable insurance in Latin America, and other digital solutions that touch on the intersection of technology, data, and impact.

IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator ‘22 is an investment-readiness and technical mentorship program, run in partnership with Village Capital. The program supports impact-focused startups leveraging highly sensitive data to improve the quality, and access to digital, financial and healthcare services. Learn about past Hyper Protect cohorts in 2020 and 2021.

Benefits startups will receive:

Connections

Build deep connections with other founders in your cohort and our larger Village Capital investor and alumni network.

Mentorship

1 year of on-demand technical mentorship, where companies get access to IBM’s network of subject matter experts, partners, technicians, go-to-market support, co-marketing, and branding.

Training

Join interactive sessions tailored to help your company identify early milestones and prepare for your next round of capital.

Advice

Work with an investment analyst who will coach you 1:1 on building a financial model, identifying unit economics, and using financial metrics.

Exposure

Get featured on Village Capital’s program website and other collateral.

IBM Cloud Credits

Access to up to $120,000 in IBM Cloud credits, up to $10,000 per month for the first year.

Program Timeline

Applications Open

April 5

Applications Close

June 15

Advisory Board Reviews

May - June

Applications will be reviewed for both Cohort 5 and Friends of Hyper Protect.

Cohort Confirmed

September 15

Selected companies will be notified.

Orientation Workshop

Late September

Cohort companies will participate in a virtual orientation.

Accelerator (Cohort 5 + FoH II)

October - December

Accelerator programming will take place virtually.

Latest News

45 Data-Driven Startups Join IBM’s Hyper Protect 2023 Accelerator

London (October 18, 2023) – Village Capital, in partnership with IBM, announced that 45 startups have been selected for the fifth class of the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, an investment-readiness and technical mentorship program.

Meet IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator's DataTech Startups

Since 2019, the program has supported 146 startups from 36 countries. Learn more about the companies across sectors: datatech, digital assets, healthtech, fintech, insurtech, and more.

Road to 100: IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator

The amount of data that is being collected, analyzed, and stored by different organizations is growing at an exponential rate. In the last 10 years, the volume of data created, captured, and consumed worldwide grew by a staggering 3850%. This raises concerns for individual and business users on data protection, privacy, security, and regulatory compliance.

Learn more about mentoring with Village Capital