The power of the ecosystem: Magic happens!
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Throughout the year, I've blogged about the power of the ecosystem. Whether it was a focus on the http://socialbusinesssandy.com/2014/02/27/pulse-cloud-ecosystem-announcements-a-summary-infographic, the http://socialbusinesssandy.com/2014/02/05/the-power-of-the-entrepreneur-and-the-ecosystem-ibm-entrepreneur-week/">entrepreneur ecosystem, or <a href="http://socialbusinesssandy.com/2014/01/07/social-business-is-all-about-people-in-2014-3-big-priorities/">empowering folks to create a digital ecosystem</a>, I'm a big believer that nurturing an ecosystem is essential to success.
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I'm always encouraging companies who have smarter, game-changing, industry-disrupting solutions to build and engage their ecosystem. As a result, I've seen tremendous opportunities come to life... magic happens!
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At the IBM Connect conference in January, two IBM Business Partners, <a href="http://www.isw.com.au/wps/portal/isw">ISW</a> and <a href="http://www.trustsphere.com/">TrustSphere</a>, met for the first time on the trade show floor. What makes this really special is that ISW and TrustSphere both have a presence in Australia, but met for the first time in Orlando, Florida. They quickly realized the value that could be gained for each company in collaborating with each other!
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Working together, these two companies developed a new social solution, called <b>Kudos Insights for IBM Connections</b>. According to the TrustSphere website, "Kudos Insights for IBM Connections can now leverage the power of Messaging Intelligence to deliver better collaboration insights when managing on line communities and accelerating social adoption."
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What a great business success story! And I can't think of a more powerful way to underscore the value of participating in an ecosystem, and, of course, on being an IBM Business Partner!
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How can you do the same? Attend our next conference: <a href="http://www-01.ibm.com/software/events/insight/">IBM Insight 2014</a>! Early registration discount is available.
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I hope you will attend. Magic can happen!
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An Entrepreneur's Thoughts -- in a plane ride bite size snack!
While flying to Dallas, I sat beside a serial entrepreneur! He shared some interesting points with me that were impactful in his quest for entrepreneur success -- of which he has had at least 3 successful exits!
Here's what I drew as I talked to him!
The Best Ideas: Entrepreneur creates WishPop
Yesterday, I had a wonderful meeting with Rob Ross who is a natural techy, developer, and entrepreneur.
His creation -- an app for the iPad inspired by his daughter. WishPop allows kids to create wish lists and thank yous to help their "grown ups" know what to buy them!
And Rob did all the right things:
1. First, he got a first class team. While the team was only 8 people, he had experience from Nickelodean, Disney, National Geographic Kids, Game Designers from Ramps, and Acclaim Entertainment. This drove an incredible design.
2. Second, he knew his "client's" pain points. His own daughter served as a chief requirement giver and her 15 BFFs gave constant and consistent feedback.
3. And finally, he learned and pivoted. He noted that the technical platform that he chose to build on didn't allow flexibility. He has since switched over to a developer platform Xamarin.
I love this app and the story!
TGIF: Rosie powers through to win SmartCamp Cambridge with mobile and predictive!
I'm thrilled to announce that Rosie is the winner of the SmartCamp Cambridge event!
Rosie is a leading SaaS provider of predictive online and mobile shopping applications to local merchants. Their solution is aimed at improving the grocery store shopping experience by predicting the grocery items shoppers need before they run out, at the lowest price from local grocers and online retailers.
What does their solution do for grocery retailers? Rosie provides e-commerce, delivery opportunities, and deep data services. And for consumers, Rosie enables them to shop online for their favorite local stores for delivery or in-store pickup. No more running up and down the aisles looking for what you need! Rosie provides it in a mobile app!
And here's another tidbit about Rosie: they're focused on diversity with a workforce that is 50% women! Now that's an ingredient for success!
2014: Year of the Entrepreneur
Have you noticed the new energy around Entrepreneurship?
For instance, Shark Tank is one of the most popular family shows. Families are teaching their kids about the potential and the feasibility of changing the world.
We now have Restaurant Start-up and even Walmart is running a "entrepreneur" event to gather new products for its US stores.
And more women are also joining the trend .... did you know that nearly 20% of angels invested in women-led businesses — the percentage grew more than 40% from the previous year, according to the Center of Venture Research.
Why is this the case?
1. There is more access to capital and it costs less to start a business. With new technologies like cloud, the cost to begin a start up is less, and areas like social enable businesses to market like the large companies for less.
2. There is more "hope" now in the economy that in the past few years. Yes, CNBC says we are in the period of overjoy, there are signs that our economy is improving -- it's a good time to start a business.
3. Corporate America isn't fulfilling the "need to show value" and to "change the world." To attract and retain the best employees, companies should be more proactive and willing to invest in their workers' future. Many believe they have to create their own company to get that culture.
4. Mentoring abounds. I see IBM offering business and technology mentoring. Virgin is focused on mentoring in the UK and the list goes on. Mentoring provides confidence to get started!
5. Support is pervasive. Unlike in the past, support for start-ups exists in networking groups, meetups, and beyond. For example, for women entrepreneurs, some groups are National Association of Women Business Owners, Women's Toolbox, PBWC, WITI, and Women 2.0.
I love this time of Entrepreneur Energy and know 2014 will truly be the Year of the Entrepreneur!
Announcing our newest BlueMix Garage: The Israel ALPHAZONE!
Are you ready to accelerate your startup? Click here to access the IBM Alpha Zone: A Bluemix Garage!
Have questions? Check out our FAQ here!
Didn't register for this semester? Click here to apply (Second semester registration starts October 2014).
SmartCamp Entrepreneur Winners in France, Italy, and Africa!
We have more exciting news coming from SmartCamps in Africa and Europe!
Last week, we had SmartCamps in Milan, Lille and Nairobi. And at each location, the local entrepreneurial ecosystem was engaged and participated!
Congratulations to Social Bullgard (Italy), Seclud-IT (France) and Digital Vision East Africa (Nairobi)!
Social Bullgard gathers and structures social media content to help companies react quickly to requests and opportunities, as well as avoid and manage crisis efficiently.
Seclud-IT's solution, Elastic Security, brings to cloud infrastructure providers the ability to provide on-demand computing resources to their customers, without compromising with security.
Digital Vision East Africa's solution, Chamasoft, is a simple to use web and mobile application that automates all activities in an investment group. Their solution also promotes transparency and accountability within investment groups.
What an impressive list of startups! And all that just from last week! There are more to come, as our SmartCamps are happening around the world. Find out more about a SmartCamp near you!
Our NYC SmartCamp winner is announced: Yosko!
IBM SmartCamp season has begun, and we've already had some great SmartCamp events in Austin, Chicago, and Prague!
Earlier this week, we held a SmartCamp event in New York with a focus on Watson-related solutions. The winner was Yosko!
With their mobile-based solutions, Yosko provides access to the electronic medical records, facilitates exchanges between physicians, and improves care team communication. Sounds like a great Watson for Healthcare solution!
As I said, SmartCamps are just getting started! Want to participate? Want to attend one? Check out our schedule of upcoming SmartCamps!