Entrepreneurs to Get Free Access to IBM's Watson IoT Platform
and Discounts on Cloud Services
MUNICH, Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM)
today announced a partnership with Indiegogo and Arrow Electronics
(NYSE: ARW) to help bring new Internet of Things (IoT) ideas to
life. This collaboration brings IBM's Watson IoT platform and cloud
services together with ideation to production services from Arrow
Electronics and Indiegogo – the world's largest crowd sourced
funding platform with more than $1.1
billion raised.
Now, qualified Indiegogo entrepreneurs will have no-charge
access to IBM Watson IoT Platform via Bluemix for an unlimited
amount of time, giving them access to more than 160
industry-leading cloud services to incorporate ready-to-use
capabilities, such as artificial intelligence, Blockchain, advanced
data analytics and cyber security into their latest IoT inventions.
In addition, qualified startups will have access to IBM's global
network of technical and industry expertise, education, mentoring
and enterprise customers and business partners, all of which can
help to bring new and innovative IoT products to market
quickly.
"We're very excited to be partnering with Arrow and IBM to help
entrepreneurs bring their wildest IoT dreams to life," said David
Mandelbrot, CEO of Indiegogo. "We know that fundraising is only one
piece of the entrepreneurial puzzle, and by working together with
IBM and Arrow we'll be able to continue making it easier for
entrepreneurs to bring their ideas all the way from concept to
market."
Experts predict that by 2022, the IoT landscape will be worth
$14.2 trillion.1 A
critical driver to this growth will be entrepreneurs and
early-stage businesses which, while armed with ideas, lack the
resources and skills to develop these next-generation IoT
innovations and bring them to market.
Early examples of Arrow Certified Indiegogo IoT startup projects
include:
- Fitly, which created Smart Plate, the first intelligent
nutrition platform that instantly analyzes and tracks what you eat.
An industry first, Smart Plate was developed with support from
Arrow and IBM Cloud, and was successfully funded on Indiegogo.
- PlayDate, a startup that launched on Indiegogo, created the
first smart ball for pets that lets owners interact with their dogs
and cats from anywhere in the world. The PlayDate team ran the
highest grossing pet tech crowdfunding campaign to date, but used
Indiegogo for much more than just funding. They were one of the
first campaigns to get Arrow-certified, a badge of approval on
their manufacturing plans, and they received $100,000 in flash funding as well as engineering
design support. "Arrow and Indiegogo's support was incredibly
valuable," said Kevin Li, CEO at
PlayDate. "Our campaign with Indiegogo opened doors with partners
and acted as market validation for investors. Indiegogo and Arrow
partnering with IBM will be a huge benefit for entrepreneurs using
the platform."
Through this partnership, IBM, Indiegogo and Arrow are removing
key barriers and providing the expertise, resources and funding
that entrepreneurs need to develop innovative new connected
products and quickly and cost-effectively bring them to market.
Combining IBM's powerful cognitive capabilities with Indiegogo's
entrepreneur platform and Arrow's end-to-end technology design and
production expertise will rapidly increase the volume and quality
of IoT devices in market and help fuel a new generation of
entrepreneurs.
"Entrepreneurs and startups play a vital role in creating the
next generation of businesses - their drive, innovation and passion
for bringing new ideas to life is particularly important in
building the IoT," said Harriet
Green, General Manager Watson IoT. "We are thrilled to
partner with Indiegogo and Arrow Electronics to accelerate IoT
innovation and development around the world working hand in hand
with some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs, developers and
startups to build an even better IoT."
In addition to IBM's benefits, Arrow provides qualified
Indiegogo campaigns with up to $500,000 in benefits, such as component parts,
online product design and prototyping tools, comprehensive
technical reviews with Arrow engineers, manufacturing and supply
chain services and sustainable recycling. As the only global
technology company capable of providing comprehensive,
sensor-to-sensor, full IoT product lifecycle solutions, Arrow is
uniquely positioned to guide the biggest names in technology, and
startups and makers alike, along their IoT production journey.
"IBM will take our groundbreaking collaboration with Indiegogo
to a whole new level, helping us reach more entrepreneurs and get
their innovative products to market quickly and cost-effectively,"
said Arrow's Chief Digital Officer Matt
Anderson. "As one of the world's largest providers of
electronic and IT products and services in the world, Arrow has the
breadth of resources and depth of expertise to successfully
shepherd promising entrepreneurs along their path to market. Arrow
engineers around the world are eager to collaborate with Indiegogo
entrepreneurs on cutting-edge tech designs that incorporate the
best that IBM's Watson IoT and cloud services have to offer."
IBM made the announcement at its first-ever Genius of Things
Summit at the company's Watson IoT headquarters in Munich, where customers, partners and
influencers gathered to examine how Watson clients are implementing
IoT solutions that drive exceptional outcomes. Around the globe,
IBM is working with more than 6,000 clients, across industries, to
help them truly realize the benefits of IoT. For more information
on IBM Watson IoT, please visit: www.ibm.com/iot or follow @IBMGot
and @IBMIoT on Twitter.
Originally launched as a crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo is the
place for entrepreneurs to move their ideas quickly from concept to
market. Entrepreneurs on Indiegogo are able to showcase their ideas
directly to users, take orders for products early in their
lifecycle and ultimately build direct relationships with their
first customers. Indiegogo is the platform of choice for early
stage entrepreneurs and the creative teams of some of the most
successful consumer product companies in the world. The company was
launched in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles and New
York. For more information, visit Indiegogo.com and follow
us at Twitter.com/indiegogo and Facebook.com/indiegogo.
For more information on this new program visit:
https://www.arrow.com/indiegogo/ibm
Media Contacts:
Indiegogo
John Eddy
212-319-3451, ext. 648
john@goldin.com
Arrow Electronics
Thorsten Hecking
PR & Media Relations Manager EME
thecking@arroweurope.com
+49.6102.5030.8638
IBM
Doug Fraim
+1 617 501 6376
dfraim@us.ibm.com
1 WSJ, The Internet of Things: The Next Industrial
Revolution http://bit.ly/2culQJr
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