Startups wishing to use IBM’s Cloud platform to build their businesses are set to receive up to 120,000 US Dollars worth of credits, facilitating for the necessary infrastructure needed to quickly launch their businesses.
IBM will also provide these startups with connections to the company’s client base, many of whom IBM says look up to the startup community for new approaches to industry challenges.
These perks will be provided for through the newly launched IBM Global Entrepreneur program for Cloud Startups, which was introduced by the company to help provide a comprehensive network of resources that will drive collaborative cloud innovation.
Through this program, selected startups will be able to easily build and monetize their solutions by gaining access to IBM’s Cloud portfolio as well as third-party cloud services that have been built around open APIs.
IBM Cloud portfolio, built on cloud infrastructure from recently acquired company SoftLayer, will include Bluemix, the cloud platform for app development by IBM with services that help businesses leverage the rising volumes of Big Data from the growing mobile, social networks and IoT devices.
Bluemix offers a range of services to develop innovative apps for the Cloud, including the recent capability that allows for integration with Twitter to help capture global social data insights with analytics.
It also offers App health and performance monitoring services as well as the Database-as-a-Service that tech companies across the globe are talking about and implementing to revolutionize the technology environment.
“As we begin our process to select our newest class of startups, which we will help to accelerate and grow, programs such as IBM’s are critical in helping to create a strong and steady flow of promising innovators,” said Gabriella Draney, CEO Tech Wildcatters, a seed fund and tech company.
Startups will also be given technical support and consulting through IBM’s physical network of Innovation Centres around the world through a face-to-face basis as they develop their products.
The Cloud is revolutionizing how organizations use Big Data and mobile to develop products such as biometric devices and mobile apps for various sectors, with research predicting that by 2016 there will be about 48 million apps available in the cloud.
