The IBM Z ScaleUp Program is not just a group of founders and IBMers, but a truly global community. Since our founding in 2019, we have strived to create a robust network of advisors to enable our startups and the program itself. Over the years, founders in our cohorts, thought leaders and innovators from within IBM, and superstars from the larger startup community have provided invaluable expertise and hands-on work to make our program as successful as possible. Each of these Advisors has made significant contributions to our program, whether it be in designing our curriculum, providing valuable feedback on our technology, or opening doors in the larger investment community. We thank each of them for their help in making the IBM Z ScaleUp Program a success for 5+ years and many more to come. Please take a moment to meet our talented Circle of Advisors!
Dr. Clemen Chiang is an entrepreneur, founder of two successful tech startups, and business and management expert recognized by Forbes, Harvard Business Review, the Singapore Institute of Directors, and more. Dr. Chiang joined our program in 2023 as founder and CEO of Spiking, a social trading platform that connects traders to consolidated data on 10 different exchanges across Asia and Australia. However, Dr. Chiang’s has worked in the startup space since 2001, when he founded early social networking site CozyCot with his wife. Both ventures have been successes for Dr. Chiang, with Spiking named as one of the fastest growing companies in Singapore since its founding in 2016. Since joining our program, Dr. Chiang has been a valuable advocate and influencer on his large social media platform. He is a main voice spreading the word of our program with his large social media presence, and his international recognition has helped us grow into a global program.
Dr. Melissa Sassi is not only an advisor, but a founder of our program! As an IBMer in 2019, Dr. Sassi gathered the first cohort of 10 startups in what was then called the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, with a mission to empower and inspire early stage startups in fintech, healthtech, insurtech, regtech, edtech & musictech. Prior to her work in creating this program, Dr. Sassi worked as a senior-level director or vice president of marketing, sourcing, and vendor management at several top firms. Her expertise in creating and fostering communities and audiences is evident, as her work has brought us from her first cohort of less than 10 startups to 5 years and over 200 startups transformed in our program. Dr. Sassi continues to thrive in the global startup ecosystem, developing over 250 tech executives in 80 countries and presenting at key events by the United Nations, the World Bank, and other global entities.
Boris Esanu
Boris Esanu is an ex-founder-turned-VC that has provided critical investor perspective on our program since joining in 2022. With IDEACTION, Esanu enabled other startups to turn ideas into successful products by helping them build robust engineering and IT teams. Esanu guided these companies in UX/UI design, development strategies, and creating pipelines for continuous improvement. As such, he has made a perfect advisor for startups in our program looking to grow their technical teams and accelerate their development.
Ryan Young
Ryan Young, MD, is an inspiring medtech founder and CEO, whose company Opollo Technologies has been an immense success both for Young and for our accelerator program. Opollo Technologies uses AI to provide key surgery forecasting services for hospitals, both to yield more accurate predictions of surgery times in minutes and to fill the resulting operating room vacancies on an open marketplace. Opollo has been well-recognized in the startup space since its founding in 2020, winning commendations in pitch competitions hosted by the University at Buffalo, Blackstone, and startup organizations in New York City. Opollo has also become a flagship company of our program. Young has advocated on our behalf across many channels, drawing in new startups and helping us build that robust ecosystem of founders and investors. Young has also been recognized as an IBM Architect, as his company is building innovative, AI-enabled solutions on IBM Cloud.
Pete Turner
Pete Turner is the CTO of Opollo Technologies, working alongside Ryan Young, MD, and one of the best developers and technologists in our circle of advisors. Opollo’s innovations in AI and medtech are made possible by Turner’s work as CTO, and his cloud strategy with IBM has given us valuable insight into our clients’ needs. Turner has provided valuable feedback on our security technology, helping us prepare for the new security challenges posed by AI-enabled products and services.