Here’s how you can propel your company into the limelight with IBM Watson

Tech in Asia is the official Marketing Collaborator of the IBM Watson New Venture Challenge.

(Update 19/01): The first panelists and mentors for the IBM Watson New Venture Challenge have just been unveiled today. Read on to find out who they are.

Want to be the next unicorn or IPO? Thinking about being The Next Big App? For application developers looking to get your company to the next level, there’s a new opportunity available to you.

IBM Watson will be launching the Asia Pacific New Venture Challenge, a six-week competition for Asia Pacific-based startups and tech companies. 25 finalists who make the cut will use Watson technology to build a live prototype and business plan. During this competition they will receive mentorship from industry, technology, and design experts.

The competition will culminate in a final showdown on March 10, where finalists will pitch to a panel of judges in front of thought leaders, media, and investors.

12 winners will be crowned, with each granted immediate entry into the IBM Watson Ecosystem, a program including access to the full suite of Watson APIs, along with technical and go-to-market support. The 12 winners will also receive credit to General Assembly’s courses and workshops.

What’s the catch?

Experience Watson technology firsthand

As a finalist, you will be one of the first few to experience how Watson technology can help your startup scale, at no cost. If you haven’t heard, IBM Watson is a technology platform that uses natural language processing and machine learning to reveal insights from large amounts of data. It can answer your customers’ most pressing questions, extract key information from documents, and reveal insights, patterns, and relationships across unstructured data sets.

Receive tailored advice from mentors

Finalists will also get one-on-one mentoring on Mentorship Day, a full-day session dedicated to providing finalists with practical advice on how to improve your prototypes and business cases for the final pitch showdown on March 10. Mentors include UX design specialists, technical, marketing, and VC experts (profiles included below).

Meet and share ideas with the media, potential clients, and partners

With 25 concepts stemming from the finalists, you’ll get the chance to share and exchange ideas with each other. The event will be an avenue for you to expand your network, with an added bonus: media presence at the event.

Are you the one?

We are looking for startups and tech companies who meet both of the following criteria:

• Have a legally registered company in Asia Pacific
• Have a compelling use case! You should demonstrate an understanding of your business problem and how Watson will add value in your submission

Applications are open and will close on January 28. Shortlisted finalists will be contacted by January 29.

Panelists and mentors

Here are the first panelists and mentors unveiled for the IBM Watson New Venture Challenge. Check back to see who else will join this all-star panel!

Update (18/01): IBM Watson is holding a presentation and sharing session as part of the lead up to the IBM Watson Asia Pacific New Venture Challenge. Find out what IBM Watson apps can achieve and get a taste of cognitive technologies at this cosy meet up.

Save yourself a spot today!

Date: January 21, 7-10 PM

Venue: The Plaza Office Tower, IBM Level 16, Borobudur Room