That's the type of reaction I had when I went to one of the premier entrepreneur association in Malaysia 4 years ago to speak about our program for startup. I still remember the incredulous look I received from the committee in the room. They just don't understand what an enterprise focus company like IBM can play in the entrepreneur space. One comment was that IBM software license would have already out priced the application price of the entrepreneur.
At that time, my answer was that the cloud revolution would have made us relevant. They agreed but they still don't see it. Admittedly, 4 years ago, our cloud offerings were not as obvious to the start up space as of today. So, I don't blame them for their disbelief.
But they were still supportive; they were willing to listen and support and provide linkages to their entrepreneur databases.
Now, after a series of relentless activities and programs with the start up space, we have made a dent in the ecosystem. Since my last conversation with this committee, IBM have launched 3 IBM Smart Camps in this region, had a track in last year's Global Entrepreneur Summit (GES) in KLCC, made many collaborations with MDeC, MTDC, MaGIC, TeAM, startupmalaysia.org, Cradle, Angels Den , CREST, etc, I think we had a believer.
In fact, in 2013, a Malaysia startup called TMC Sistem Sdn Bhd went to the finals in Silicon Valley with their solution that detect soil movement to prevent landslide. During this journey, they were featured in Fast Company, a premier startup magazine/website and more importantly, they had a call from a mining company in South Africa who are interested in how their solution can help safety in mining industry. On top of that, when they speak in one of our Malaysia events, they were also contacted by one of the government-linked agency to do a proposal of their solution. These type of opportunities can only be possible through IBM and we helped entrepreneur open doors to our enterprise clients.
And this year, Ginni announced that IBM strategy moving forward is around Cloud, Data and System of Engagements. With the acquisition of SoftLayer last year and the launch of IBM Bluemix, it is an exciting days for entrepreneurs and startups indeed.
And yesterday, we made another announcement. I will let this blurb said it all:
"our new program dedicated to the growth and success of startups. The IBM Global Entrepreneur Program for Cloud Startups has the resources startups need, including free software, exposure to a worldwide technical community, and more. Please take a moment to check out this infographic to learn more about this program and how you can take part.
View the infographic at: https://ibm.biz/ibmgepcs"
Key takeaway:
$120K credit for our cloud services!!
Programmatic linkage for entrepreneurs to enterprise accounts
Access to 43 IBM Innovation Centers WW for technical assistance!
Free software for development use.
Check out the announcement! Let's see how we can collaborate further!!
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