Washington, DC (October 6, 2022) — Village Capital has announced that 45 companies have been selected to join the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator class of 2022. As part of this program, startups will receive access to IBM Hyper Protect Services, which is designed to provide startups with sole authority over their sensitive data.
For the third year running on IBM’s zDay annual gathering, Village Capital and IBM announced the newest batch of 45 data driven companies joining their signature Hyper Protect Accelerator for 2022. Launched in 2019, the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator (HPA) works with companies leveraging data to increase access to essential services. Many of these impact-driven companies offer industry-disrupting services, making it key to navigate the increasingly sensitive, regulated, and vulnerable space that is the data privacy landscape. The Accelerator showcases IBM Hyper Protect Services (running on IBM Cloud and powered by IBM LinuxONE) that is designed to provide a secured solution for personal and sensitive data on the public cloud, purpose built for data privacy.
Having already supported 100+ impact-driven startups using highly sensitive data to improve the access and quality of digital, financial and healthcare services, this year’s cohort will receive up to $120,000 of IBM Cloud credits, two years of IBM technical mentorship, and three months of investment-readiness training to help founders further refine their products, migrate sensitive services to a highly secured platform, and define the necessary next steps in raising capital. These companies will also be invited to join our global Datatech for Good Coalition of more than 250 mentors, investors and stakeholders dedicated to building a community at the intersection of impact and data ownership.
“We are proud to support a diverse group of impact-driven startups with game-changing security and encryption solutions that protect sensitive data,” said Yvette LaMar, Director, IBM zSystems Influencer Ecosystem. “The Hyper Protect Accelerator program is just one example of the investment IBM is making in data privacy globally.”
This announcement comes hot on the heels of the recently concluded IBM zDay - which hosted a record number of more than 22,000 unique live views across 114 countries to hear from global thought leaders, stakeholders, students and key players working within the IBM zSystems ecosystem. The Global Head of the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, Adam LG Ring, and Village Capital’s European Regional Director, Ben Younkman, announced the newest class of the IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator (IBM HPA) and were joined by some of the winners. Village Capital helped host three panels alongside IBM HPA alumni where they explored the intersection of impact and data privacy.
Speaking on this latest cohort, Younkman shared, “Because of the importance that data intake and analysis has on our society, we have to make sure that data-driven services are a conduit to more equitable access, rather than a barrier. We’re excited to continue working with IBM to support startups leveraging data to create impact at all stages around the world. This year’s stellar cohort has been selected from a pool of over 230 applicants working within fintech, healthtech, datatech, data privacy, edtech, insurtech, digital assets, metaverse and other sectors in the technology, data and impact space. Building on our commitment to mitigate bias and build more inclusive and equitable ecosystems, 46% of the companies we’ve selected have a female founder and more than 52% have a Black, Brown, or LatinX founder.”
All participating companies will receive 2 years of technical mentorship from IBM (including IBM Cloud credits), and 3 months of investment readiness training from Village Capital, business development mentorship, investor matchmaking and milestone planning.
The selected startups include:
Cohort 5
- Alloxentric (DataTech - UK): An omnichannel communications company and conversation analytics platform based on AI, with focus on Quality Assurance.
- Bismart (InsureTech - Kenya): An online insurance marketplace that enables customers to research, compare and buy the right insurance, basically enabling them to shop for insurance the way they shop for their air ticket or holiday.
- Bona (FinTech - Egypt): A brokerage solution for the MEA region’s users to exponentially grow their wealth by simplifying and democratizing access to global investment opportunities.
- Chatclass (Edtech - Brasil): An online AI-driven conversational learning platform for professional development and upskilling of workers via WhatsApp.
- Con Feria (FinTech - Mexico): The company offers traditional financial companies a smooth migration of their existing products and services to a digital ecosystem.
- CurveBlock (FinTech - UK): The Company removes the use of fossil fuels in the world’s largest asset class and allows people to become financially independent.
- House Africa (FinTech - Nigeria): The company provides a digital registry for privately owned land and estates and reduces fraud in the real estate sector in Africa and increases the access to mortgages.
- Hybrid School (EdTech - UK): A registered online Cambridge International School designed to deliver personalized education to students across the globe. Hybrid School customizes and builds online schools for physical schools around the world.
- Kotani Pay (FinTech - Kenya): The company provides a seamless on-ramp off-ramp service for feature phones and low-end smartphones with limited internet connectivity and storage space, as well as very fast transaction times and very low fees, even for microtransactions.
- Opollo Technologies (FinTech - USA): A cloud- based AI platform which learns from a wide range of healthcare data to yield more accurate surgery duration forecasts in minutes, without requiring the implementation of workflow changes, in addition to providing a marketplace for healthcare facilities to sell the resulting operating room vacancies to health insurance companies.
- MetaCourt (Legaltech - Turkey): The First legal Metaverse with main utility of game theory-based arbitration for Metaverse and web3.0 disputes. MetaCourt is building an OnChain jurisdiction for Web3.0 economy where all disputes are resolved and enforced OnChain with deployment of Escrow payment smart contracts with curated mediation and arbitration based on our so called "MetaConvention" with help of $COURT token built on SOLANA Blockchain.
- Pennee Technologies (FinTech - Nigeria): The company provides a credit line for these small businesses to buy the equipment they need to boost their productivity, buy inventory to improve their operational economics and pay for bills on the drabbest of days.
- Tekbees (FinTech - Colombia): The company which leverages 3D face recognition, identity documentation and money laundering prevention processes which decreases the possibilities of fraud.
- Telebionix (Digital Health - US): A healthtech solution with a goal to simplify patients’ lives, increasing their access to healthcare services while allowing them to take control of their health data.
- Wiri Salud (Insurtech - Argentina): Wiri is a vertical marketplace with an Airbnb-like interface that offers transparent and affordable healthcare services in LATAM.
Friends of Hyper Protect - Class 2
- 1WorldBlockchain (Fintech - UAE): A Single Staking Investment Pool focused on a portfolio of derivatives trading of Defi and Cefi. The company provides its investors and clients with high yield of their pledged funds resulting in the highest income within its safe and secure DApp and APP portfolio of revenue projects.
- 36ZERO VISION (Datatech - Germany): AI-powered computer vision technology for visual quality control in manufacturing that uses proprietary deep learning algorithms to provide automated image acquisition, fault inspection and optical character verification.
- Coverhero (Insurtech - Australia): Hustle by Coverhero is an insurance designed specifically for self-employed people who can’t afford not being able to work because of illness or injury. The premiums are affordable and it takes only 30 seconds to protect yourself.
- Creditscript (Datatech - UK): The company provides consistent digital money experiences, competitive savings rates in the market, AI data recommendations to close the advice gap.
- Finaktiv (FinTech - Colombia): An online financial services platform for SMEs in Colombia offering a wide range of financial and non-financial solutions.
- FinClusive Capital (FinTech - US): The company offers an embedded financial crime compliance (FCC) platform that combines traditional banking with the power of blockchain-enabled payments and virtual asset networks.
- Finmarie (FinTech - Germany): The company’s goal is to help women in Europe on their path to financial independence by offering the right tools and creating a combination of education, self-exploration and support.
- InovCares (Digital Health - US): The company connects black women and women of color with culturally competent healthcare providers, evidence-based health information, and community support.
- Jiva.ai (Datatech - UK): A machine learning platform which simplifies the process of creating, deploying and maintaining AI solutions - and more specifically, Multimodal AI solutions, for data driven healthcare.
- Koii Labs (Blockchain - Canada): A global communications network owned by its users that features built-in payment rails, attention tracking, and viral growth features.
- Kornchain (Blockchain - UK): A programmable digital currency distribution and exchange network underpinned by Blockchain Technology which offers an end to end solution and support system for central banks, governments and financial institutions to fastrack their CBDC initiatives.
- Kyros AI (Edtech - US): The company provides private college counseling services delivered in a simple, comprehensive, affordable and automated manner.
- LyRise (Datatech - Egypt): LyRise connects adept AI talents from emerging markets to global organizations at 1/3 the time and cost.
- myEGO (Digital Identity - Germany): myEGO delivers the next generation of digital identity: decentralized & self sovereign.
- NeftyBlocks (Blockchain - Guatemala): NeftyBlocks is assisting artists and creators in general in gaining access to blockchain technology in ways they never imagined possible.
- Newcoin (Blockchain - Czech Republic): Newcoin offers blockchain technology that enables large-scale creative value coordination by connecting innovators and early adopters via DAOs and liquidity pools that reflect the value of their intellectual property.
- Okomera (Biotechnology - France): The company has developed a patented microfluidics based machine that automates the culture of patient-derived microtumors that are used to test and select the best therapy option for cancer patients without using drugs.
- Panteya (Healthtech - Australia): The company offers a suite of solutions for pre and post-operative care ensures the best experience and outcomes for patients globally, whilst delivering value for all stakeholders in a scalable and technology-focused manner.
- Sensar (Big Data - Netherlands): The company increases the safety, liveability, an accessibility for every inhabitant while lowering the costs, by providing accurate information on which our customers base their maintenance planning.
- Siloton (Machine Learning - UK): The company aims to be the world’s foremost provider of portable optical coherence tomography solutions. Siloton is tackling the greatest challenges in ophthalmology, producing a home-based scanning module to see an end to preventable blindness.
- Snickerdoodle (Datatech - US): Snickerdoodle Labs is leveraging blockchain to create a first-of-its-kind, dynamically secure data economy that benefits all stakeholders, including data owners.
- Sorius (Insurtech - France): The company offers a unique responsive digital web app synchronized with the APIs of market leaders in connected objects and sports applications and direct automation with user activity sessions.
- Spiky.ai (Datatech - US): The company utilizes AI to create 48 quantifiable trackable metrics to connect the human factor with hard metrics of interest.
- SurgiQ (Healthtech - Italy): The company’s goal is to support hospitals’ operational excellence by providing AI-based healthcare planning tools, reducing time spent for scheduling activities, and increasing resource utilization.
- The Uplift World (Metaverse - US): The Uplift World dao is a Metaverse powered by gratitude, designed for users to truly connect in and co-create persistent digital worlds.
- Truleo (Public Safety - US): Truleo enables departments to conduct data driven training of officers, establishes and promotes best practices and proactively mitigates risk.
- UKISS Technology (Data Security - Singapore): UKISS empowers users with the self-sovereign security of their digital identity, crypto assets, personal data and more - redefining decentralized security for the Metaverse.
- United Biometrics (Cybersecurity - France): The company offers secure access control, MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), and identity verification solutions, including behavioral and physical biometrics).
- Validide (Thrivacy) (Datatech - US): Thrivacy is a decentralized digital identity wallet solution and community providing mechanisms for people to gain control over all their personal identity information, deciding what they share and when.
- Vacmobile (Healthtech - US): Vacmobile is a globally scalable, digitally-enabled platform that helps employers meet regulatory requirements while also promoting evidence-based best practices to keep their employees and customers safe.
- VIZGARD (Live Security - UK): The company offers computer vision tools to help safety and security providers rapidly identify and respond to problem events.
For more information, reach out to Ahmed Fadl (ahmed.fadl@vilcap.com) and Eva Waweru (eva.waweru@vilcap.com) at Village Capital.
For more information about IBM, visit ibm.com/news.
About Village Capital
Village Capital helps entrepreneurs bring big ideas from vision to scale. Our mission is to reinvent the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Our vision is a future where business creates equity and long-term prosperity. Since 2009, we have supported more than 1,000 early-stage entrepreneurs through our investment readiness programs. Our affiliated fund, VilCap Investments, has invested in more than 100 program graduates, including 8 early-stage US fintech companies like Vault, Fig Loans, and Finix.