IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator is an investment-readiness and technical mentorship program, run in partnership with Village Capital and IBM. The program supports impact-focused startups leveraging highly sensitive data to improve the quality of, and access to: digital, financial, and healthcare services. The IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator has already supported 146 early-stage startups across the world and is now open to applications for Cohort 6 and Friends of Hyper Protect (FoHP) Class III. Check out our past cohort companies here.
No equity will be taken in their company by IBM or Village Capital as part of the program.
The 2023 program will expand to support more companies working on impactful Datatech products, and consist of three components:
- The IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, HPA (Up to 15 companies): 1 year of technical mentorship from IBM (including up to $120,000 of free IBM cloud credits), access to IBM’s network & a 3 month intensive Village Capital Investment Readiness Accelerator with bespoke mentor and investor matching.
- Friends of Hyper Protect, FoHP (Up to 30 companies): 1 year of quarterly technical mentorship from IBM (including up to $120,000 of free IBM cloud credits), access to IBM’s network & 3 months of tailored business support fromVillage Capital with a focus on milestone planning and investor matchmaking.
- The DataTech for Good Coalition: A coalition on Village Capital’s Abaca platform that matches DataTech for good startups with like-minded investors and peers.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
From 2010 to 2020 the volume of data created, captured, and consumed increased by an astounding 5,000%, with 90% of all data created in the last two years. This flood of new data streams also raises potential exploitation and security issues around data exposure, and raises concerns for individuals and businesses around data protection, privacy, security, and regulatory compliance.
Digital solutions leveraging data are transforming access to essential services by improving service delivery, reducing costs, and increasing accessibility. Can data collection create more inclusive solutions that improve access without compromising individuals ownership of their data?
As the data landscape continues to evolve, businesses handling users’ personal information must act as data custodians to maintain privacy, keep client data protected, and acknowledge data ownership is the sole right of users. Without secure data ownership, clients, and stakeholders lose potential benefits from their data to businesses and restrict their ability to access better, more inclusive, and more valuable services.
Over the past four years, the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator has 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, blockchain-based solutions that increase financial transparency and efficiency, digital assets platforms that create opportunities for creators, and other digital solutions that touch on the intersection of technology, data, and impact.