Each core partner will play an active role in supporting the selected Springboard founders, as well as providing senior mentors to those accepted to the programme.
Springboard Internet of Things ("IoT") is an accelerator programme that accepts the ten best teams in any area of IoT technology - from bright idea to Series A funding. Participating founders receive more than $150,000 of free services, seed capital and mentoring from more than 100 industry leaders around the world, in an intensive three-month bootcamp.
David Cleevely, says: "Springboard IoT gives the next generation of IoT entrepreneurs the chance to fast track the best ideas to market. I am thrilled to be able to help make this happen and to have the privilege to work with these founders."
Gary Atkinson, Director Embedded Marketing, ARM, says: "The Internet of Things is starting to evolve and grow as intelligence is increasingly embedded to create smarter, connected devices, such as sensors. By 2020 everything that can benefit from an Internet connection will have one, and this has the potential to help use energy and natural resources more efficiently, monitor healthcare more effectively and improve lives. This represents a massive opportunity to drive growth. ARM is delighted to support Springboard IoT as part of the wider ARM ecosysem, and further develop the brightest talent to realise the opportunity in this space."
Jeremy Bassett, Director New Businesses Unit at Unilever, says: “We’re always looking for new ways to help entrepreneurs grow their business and Springboard IoT provides a great platform for them to get the advice and tools needed to build great products and services.”
James Collier, CEO at Neul, says: “The IoT is the engine for economic growth in the next decade, much of which will come from new and innovative applications. Neul is excited to see and support such initiatives as the 'Springboard IoT' since it will incubate this new generation of smart things - devices and applications which will benefit us all yet simply haven't been possible before the emergence of an ubiquitous IoT communication network.”
Eben Upton, CEO and Founder of Raspberry Pi, says: "To date, the Internet of Things has been largely the playground of corporates. Dramatically falling hardware costs are shifting innovation toward smaller teams in a similar manner to how web technologies have evolved over the last 10 years.
Jon Bradford, founder of Springboard commented: "We're thrilled to partner with these key players. We believe that there is a massive untapped opportunity with low power device technology - which has been demonstrated by the maker and Kickstarter community."
Springboard IoT has a wide variety of mentors who have vast experience as investors and/or entrepreneurs in this space including, Hermann Hauser (Amadeus), Sherry Coutu, Niall Murphy (Evrythng & The Cloud), Usman Haque (Cosm & Pachube), Pilgrim Beart (AlertMe) and Brad Feld (Foundry Group).
Source: Springboard blog 1/11/12