Entering the IoT is not always an easy prospect, especially for technical developers looking to engineer prototypes of new innovations. Smart partnerships can help with that, and a teammate can more easily be found in a Startup Accelerator.
Start Garden, a venture capital and startup ecosystem, has created Seamless to meet just that need. This new global accelerator for IoT ventures begins September 15 with an inaugural class of eight innovators. The following companies have joined in: Alsentis of Holland, Michigan creates touch recognition technology; Cosign of New York City has built a solution that helps consumers tag (News - Alert) and monetize retail purchasing; Friendly, from San Ramon, California, coordinates and manages healthcare over IP; Chicago-based Haas is the first globally connected acoustic technology for early detection of emergency vehicles; Hoana from Honolulu, Hawaii has developed a smart, connected hospital bed technology; NoBot, of London, U.K., makes drone robotics technology for service industries; Scanalytics of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the creator of intelligent floor sensors to monitor retail foot traffic, analyze consumer behavior and report actionable insights; and Tractouch Mobile in Jacksonville, Florida deploys an embedded Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Vibration Platform for mobile notifications.
“Life is the hand-off of people between different environments—home, work, retail, transportation. Therefore, business is not just about the products, but rather how the product solves problems and connects users to a solution,” said Mike Morin, director, Seamless. “The Internet of Things will become the interface for the cross section of what matters to a person and where they are.”
Seamless provides these IoT startups with direct partnership and hard-to-get access to the intellectual and commercialization capital available from large enterprises. The six Consortium Partners providing funding include Amway, Faurecia, Meijer, Priority Health, Spectrum (News - Alert) Health and Steelcase.
“Innovation is in Faurecia’s DNA, and working with startups and alongside other enterprise leads to cross-pollination of big ideas in unlikely or unusual applications,” said Dana Lowell, director of Advanced Business Development, xWorks Innovation Center, Faurecia. “Faurecia’s participation in Seamless allows us to significantly increase our ability to introduce cutting-edge innovations into the automotive industry and connect people’s lives.”
Seamless kicks off its program inside Start Garden’s 16,000 square-foot neighborhood for the regional startup community in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Accelerator will consist of a three-month program, operating in semi-annual cycles.