IBM Global Entrepreneurship Program Heads To Chennai For Next IBM Smartcamp 2015 Challenge

Moving to the third destination of startup challenge, IBM Global Entrepreneurship Program is now inviting applications for its Chennai edition.

Eligible startups can apply for the  IBM SmartCamp 2015 Chennai edition by filling the form till October 5, 2015. The startups will be judged by Chandu Nair, Entrepreneur- Adviser, Angel investor and Investment banker, and Nishanth Chandran, CEO & Co Founder of GrowZippy Solutions.

IBM Global Entrepreneur Program has successfully concluded its IBM SmartCamp 2015 for Hyderabad and Kochi edition in past two weeks. The program has witnessed five startups each from the two cities.

The event is scheduled to be organized in nine hotspots of India, selecting finalists from every city.

How It Works?

Global Entrepreneur Program was launched last year by IBM with an aim to provide comprehensive and strong network resources to drive collaborative cloud innovation for startups.

IBM’s SmartCamp 2015 is a startup challenge for B2B startups to help them build, innovate, scale and accelerate via IBM’s global network of enterprise clients, consultants and innovation centres. The startups will pitch to IBM executives, VCs and government execs in nine cities including Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.

After getting selected from all the nine cities, the startups will compete in regional finals that will be held in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

The event will culminate with a final showdown wherein top six startups will pitch to eminent VCs (e.g. Nexus Ventures, Intel Ventures, Seedfund, Reservoir Ventures, Ravi Gururaj) in Bangalore.

Required Criteria For Participants

• Startup needs to have B2B product or platforms
• Startup needs to be less than five years old
• Startup needs to be an IBM Global Entrepreneur Program Cloud Credit member or just the IBM Global Entrepreneur Program member.

It is mandatory for the startups to apply for IBM Global Entrepreneur Program before applying to the Smartcamp.

Startups Will Gain

• Award Certifications from IBM
• Showcase their product to CIOs and IBM Executives
• Meet and interact with Venture Capitalists and Government executives
• Can leverage higher outreach through extensive press coverage and grand prizes!
• Winners will be introduced to Angel Investors in the Silicon Valley and New York.

Last date to apply for the Chennai edition is October 5, 2015. Startups can apply by filling the form here.

[This article is part of a sponsored series by IBM SmartCamp]