This report was 1st published in our sister Site – The Internet Of All Things
Venture fund Start Garden and companies like Steelcase, Amway, Faurecia, Meijer, Spectrum Health and Priority Health have come together to announce the ‘Seamless Coalition and Accelerator’ for the Internet Of Things (IoT). This collaboration is expected to bring enterprises together with startups and entrepreneurs in order to create the next generation of connected devices.
The IoT is estimated to have a potential impact of anywhere between US $2-14 trillion on the global economy by 2020. A recent study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers found, one in every six businesses is planning to roll out an IoT-based product, and more than 75 percent of corporate enterprises are exploring how to use IoT to improve their operations.
Keeping that in mind, the Seamless Accelerator program will provide enterprises with “collaborative, light weight, low friction access to emerging technologies and businesses” in a region that has quietly manufactured much of the physical spaces and objects encountered in today’s built environment. At the same time, it will provide startups with unprecedented access to intellectual and commercialisation capital, Start Garden said in a media statement.
“A successful ecosystem is not just made of entrepreneurs and investors, but made of people at established companies who want the creation of new value that startups do best. Grand Rapids is uniquely prepared for Seamless because of our deeply interconnected enterprises,” said Rick DeVos, Chief Executive Officer of Start Garden. “Knowing solutions starts with understanding a problem, and corporations opening their intelligence to startups with new ideas will inform all of us on the capabilities we need and the types of innovations to pursue.”
“As soon as a startup adds building physical things to building digital things, it takes a step into a very different world of facilities, global supply chains, and market channel relationships,” Jim Keane, Chief Executive Officer of Steelcase. “The Seamless Accelerator and Coalition merges the best from startup culture and enterprise experience in order to bring to market innovations for our physical environment.”
Start Garden will provide a platform for financial, intellectual and social capital to converge from non-competing enterprises working with each other and startups, hosting activity within its new, 16,000 sq.ft. “neighborhood” for the regional startup community.
The following companies have confirmed participation in the Seamless Coalition:
• Steelcase, one of the world’s largest office interiors manufacturer
• Amway, the world’s leading direct selling business
• Meijer, the inventor of “one-stop shopping”
• Faurecia, one of the world’s largest automotive interiors suppliers
• Spectrum Health, a 1,200 provider health group
• Priority Health, a 626,000 member health insurance provider
The Seamless Accelerator will consist of a three-month program, operating in semi-annual cycles, with ten startups working in each cycle. Participants will receive direct access to enterprise leaders working in their field of manufacturing and design, seed capital, as well as the resources of strategic vendor partners.
Already, Seamless is seeking its first class of startups specialising in product, technology, data, materials and service companies from all over the world. The goal of the accelerator is to focus on solutions that improve how physical environment can better serve people. Incidentaly, Seamless Accelerator is also a member of TechStars Global Accelerator Network .
Early stage VC Start Garden is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. It was founded by Rick DeVos, whose past projects included ArtPrize, 5×5 Night, Momentum and Spout.com.
You may also want to read: India’s GSF launches accelerator programme for IoT and Cloud
Image Credit: Start Garden
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