Kaspersky Innovation Hub (IHub) is calling on tech startups from across Africa and the rest of the world to apply for the second round of its Open Innovation Program. Kaspersky is looking for startups and individual projects, developing solutions on the edge of cybersecurity.
The best tech-based initiatives will be invited to take part in pilot projects, where startups and Kaspersky will work jointly on product development, with the possibility of global promotion. These startups will also receive technical and business mentoring, and those that pass the pilot will have access to Kaspersky channel partners (including distributors and resellers), clients and prospects.
During the first round in 2019, Kaspersky received 258 applications from 49 countries across the world. Four out of the 12 final startups, who presented their ideas to a jury of experts on a Demo Day in Milan, became overall winners in the areas of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), transportation, blockchain and anti-fraud technology. Winners had the opportunity to collaborate on joint business cases with Kaspersky and launch their products with the support of a globally recognised cybersecurity brand. The newly developed products are also included in the company’s portfolio, driving a synergetic approach to innovative solutions development.
This year candidates are invited to participate in open challenges, put together by the Kaspersky Innovation Hub and F6S – a leading global corporate innovation platform. As part of Kaspersky’s drive to constantly improve services and meet customer needs, challenges have been designed for teams working on advanced projects in the areas of ‘all-life protection’ (family protection, home safety, privacy) and gaming.
Applications are now open for startups that already have a legal entity, product or prototype, and several closed deals or ongoing pilots. Technical and business validation, along with the investment opportunity of startups will be assessed by the Kaspersky team – with help from the F6S Corporate Innovation Analyst Insights product – and based on the ability of their products or technologies to solve concrete cybersecurity use cases. During the selection process, experts will also pay attention to the readiness and interest in collaborating with Kaspersky IHub to improve the global cybersecurity landscape.
“It is our pleasure to announce the next call for innovative startups and to support the growth of new business activities by providing them with an opportunity to validate, grow and scale their solutions with such a global leading company as Kaspersky. By joining forces, we can enhance our technologies and together address security needs with higher accuracy and efficiency, as well as support the essence of cyber-immunity The Open Innovation Program has already proved its value, not only for young tech-based startups, but also for our customers, and we are happy to continue working in this direction,” – says Vitaly Mzokov, Head of the Innovation Hub at Kaspersky.
Sean Kane, F6S CEO, added, “The F6S platform is the global leader in supporting innovation for 4,000 corporates and we are particularly pleased to be working with Kaspersky as a core cybersecurity partner. F6S drives billions in growth value for top global tech startups and we’re excited to help Kaspersky make the best cybersecurity startups part of its product portfolio.”
Selected entrepreneurs will be invited to present their projects in front of a jury during this year’s Demo Selection Days. The event will take place in Milan, on May 27-28.
Applications can be done here.
