In an increasingly digital world, there are new challenges for entrepreneurs to overcome every day in order to build solutions that create impact across the globe without putting customer data & information at risk. 

In April, IBM announced the expansion of its IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, in partnership with Village Capital, by launching the recruitment of 15 early-stage fintech, healthtech, and insurtech startups around the globe for Cohort 4 of our program. In addition, the program is being opened up to what we are calling Friends of Hyper Protect for 40 of the top companies that were considered for Cohort 4. 

If your startup collects, stores, and/or transmits sensitive data such as medical records, financial transactions, insurance history, or digital assets - then you have found the right program. IBM is providing selected startups with a highly secure platform to enable companies to keep sensitive data secured – IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services powered by IBM’s LinuxONE server.

IBM’s collaborators include Village Capital, Female Founders Alliance, and Black Innovation Alliance. The IBM team empowers startups with business acceleration expertise and technical mentorship throughout our journey together.

Selected startups can expect access to one-on-one, hands-on technical leaders, cloud solution architects, and an experienced network of business leaders. Village Capital empowers each early-stage founder and their team with curated curriculum specifically designed for early-stage startups. Startups will receive up to $10,000 in monthly IBM Cloud technology credits which can be used toward IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Services and the variety of cloud solutions available within the world of IBM, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and other cloud services available via the IBM Cloud. By the end of the program, each startup will have access to up to $120,000 in credits to be used within a one-year period.

Further, companies selected for Cohort 4 will partake in Village Capital’s investment readiness accelerator. Village Capital has worked with over 1,000 entrepreneurs through its accelerator programs, and participating companies have gone on to raise over $4B in follow-on capital. The investment-readiness accelerator will aid founders in refining the fundamentals of their business, pitching their business, and receiving key feedback from a vast network of mentors from around the globe. The program will culminate with an investor summit where entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to speak with and pitch to investors.

Companies selected to Friends of Hyper Protect will receive similar offerings from IBM as well as support from Village Capital, on a quarterly basis.

Startups from the 2020 cohorts come from 13 different countries and are all solving different challenges in finance, healthcare, and insurance industries.

Check out Cohorts 2 & 3 here.

Phase I: Call for Entries

We’re looking for early-stage fintech, insurtech, and healthtech founders from around the world who need access to the resources required to help build world-class applications and technical solutions, while keeping sensitive data secure. If you are a security-first startup, you have found the right program!

This program is designed for early-stage startups from across the globe that are less than five years old and have less than $1M USD in revenue. Startups must have a website and matching email address.

Phase II: Startup Identification

Once applications close, IBM and Village Capital will work with our panel of expert judges and program collaborators to review startup applications and select 50 early-stage fintech, digital assets, insurtech, and healthtech startups based on scoring criteria that includes evaluation of each startup’s fit for purpose, including its problem statement, mission, vision, value proposition, architecture, business model, competitive set, solution, and team structure.

Phase III: Business & Technical Workshops

Starting in September, IBM and Village Capital will host a series of workshops. Each startup will be able to attend one workshop series from IBM and will be expected to attend all investment readiness workshops as a part of Village Capitals’ 3-month program. Details on how these workshops will be conducted will be shared when cohort selections occur, as we are continuing to evaluate the safest and most effective means to host them.

Phase IV: Ongoing Mentorship

To create a long-term, successful accelerator, IBM will provide virtual mentorship to our cohort of entrepreneurs, consisting of monthly one-on-one engagement and quarterly all-hands with IBM engineers and architects over a two-year period.

Diversity & Inclusion

IBM recognizes that diversity and inclusion are integral to a company’s strategic and profitability objectives—solidifying the connection between customer satisfaction and winning in the marketplace. IBM values opportunities for businesses owned and operated by minorities, women, LGBT+, disabled veterans, and other disabled persons.

Conclusion

We are incredibly excited to kick off our third annual IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator application process!

Submit your application by May 15, 2021. Any application submitted after this deadline will NOT be considered. If your startup is nominated, you'll be notified in mid-July and may be asked to participate in IBM Z Day, global conference with thousands of attendees. More on that exciting event in the coming weeks!

Hope everyone is staying safe during these dynamic times; we look forward to hearing from you.

On behalf of our crew here at IBM, we look forward to checking out your pitch deck and the secret sauce your startup has cooking!

Apply now!

Kavon Badie

Investment Analyst

Village Capital

@cave0n