An insider tip: if you’re looking for the real inside track on tech innovation at a conference, look to the startups. Undoubtedly the larger companies have the resources and brainpower to fuel the innovations of tomorrow, but many of the nascent ideas which will revolutionise the ways we live and work originate in small companies with big visions.

If you’re part of a smaller operation yourself, the benefits of surrounding yourself with a robust and supportive startup ecosystem cannot be overstated. Many in the data field will preach the value of open data; the same principles of transparency, access and collaboration are also key reasons why data startups & scaleups should be in communication with one another, sharing learnings and ideas to grow concurrently.

Showcasing startups with cutting-edge ideas and exposing them to our ever-growing community has always been a crucial part of Data Natives’ modus operandi- and DN18 is no different. On the 22nd and 23rd November, we’ll be joined by game-changing startups from across the globe, and across industries too. Below is our pick the startups you need to watch out for- trust us, you’ll be hearing these names a lot in the coming years.

Vivy

Vivy has situated itself at the lucrative but tricky intersection of personalised medicine and data privacy. Vivy aims to be a one-stop shop for all of your medical documents and data: it offers all of your (encrypted) medical records at a touch, reminds you about appointments and vaccines, warns you about interactions between your prescribed medications, and pairs with fitness trackers. Additionally, it offers end-to-end encryption, and allows users to determine who they share what data with. Their business model is to sell to insurance companies, who offer it as a service to their clients; they’re already highly active in the German market, having partnered with several major public and private insurance providers.

Opinary

Opinary offer dynamic and engaging polls on major publishing outlets- with a twist. Publishers get to engage users, and encourage them to share structured data in a way they actually enjoy; brands get to place their content on major publishers in real time; and users get to see a data-driven overview of where their fellow readers fall on key issues. Already working with brands including MasterCard, Deutsche Bank and Toyota and publishers like The Huffington Post, The Independent and Spiegel Online, Opinary reaches 60 million monthly users- and counting. Their tech team are currently applying deep learning to their data with the aim of uncovering which underlying structures of language drive users to engage with content- this research will form the backbone of their talk at Data Natives.

WeFox

One of the fastest-growing companies in the InsurTech space, Wefox offers a fully digital insurance solution to connect insurers with potential clients, based on their individual needs. The data-infused insurance comparison platform currently boasts more than 200 insurance providers. For users, the app provides a one-stop-shop to oversee and manage their various insurance packages, and offers an annual review of policies and potential risks. With $38.5m total funding, WeFox are reportedly close to settling a triple-digit-million new funding round, to propel their offering to the next level. Wefox CEO Tasos Chatzimichailidis will share his dispatches from the frontline of InsurTech disruption at DN18.

omni:us

Also active in the InsurTech space, omni:us provide AIaaS; namely, they offer insurance companies with all benefits of an AI-infused data management system without the pain of creating AI pipelines themselves. Under the tagline “Settle claims in minutes, not weeks”, their solution ostensibly speeds up claim times by 80% and leads to a 75% cost reduction for the client. They completed a Series A round last month, bringing their total funding to $22.5 million. Their talk at DN18 will focus on the challenges of data extraction using deep learning, touching on both structured and unstructured data abstraction.

Swarm64

Based out of Oslo with German operations, Swarm64 offer unparalleled FPGA-based accelerators for relational databases with their out-of-the-box solution, which gives databases an analytical boost in real-time. Their solution is also engineered to integrate with existing environments, minimising implementation risks and costs. Swarm64 have been active for five years, accruing more than $20 million in funding.

All of these startups will be speaking at Data Natives 2018– the data-driven conference of the future, hosted in Dataconomy’s hometown of Berlin. On the 22nd & 23rd November, 110 speakers and 1,600 attendees will come together to explore disruptive technologies, including AI, blockchain, healthtech, and the latest innovations in data science. As well as two days of inspiring talks, Data Natives will also bring informative workshops, satellite events, art installations and food to our data-driven community, promising an immersive experience in the tech of tomorrow.

Not all accelerators are equal, and not all start-ups will benefit from their rigid programs. Here’s a list of alternatives to help grow your start-up without handing out shares left and right.

There are a truly absurd amount of accelerators and incubators around the world. For all the good they have done, they can also do plenty of damage. They come and go, and some leave several dissatisfied start-ups in their wake. In fact, there are so many coming and going that it is nearly impossible to keep an accurate, up-to-date list of them. For start-ups that have tried the traditional accelerator/incubator route, or are wary to go it at all, there are other options available.

Maker / Hackerspaces

For many, makerspaces are the grassroots ideal for start-up creation. These spaces have sophisticated equipment that some start-ups desperately require. Paying a membership fee means access to all the tools a young start-up might be itching for. Plus, as makerspaces become more prominent and popular, more companies are investing in them. Governments, corporations and even universities may offer funding or space. If you are near a big city, chances are you have a makerspace or hackerspace nearby.

The real power of these spaces doesn’t just end at equipment. They also tend to have a very energetic atmosphere. Surrounded by similar makers and creators, there is never a shortage of creativity or input. Another great advantage is how they lend credibility to an otherwise small or unknown start-up. Much like an endorsement from an accelerator or big company, having a real space to work lends traction to a new name. Start-up founder Tom Panzarella, who works out of a makerspace NextFab Studio explains:”You’re not these two guys in a garage building a robot, right. You have your 21,000-square-foot production space; the boardroom here is really nice if we need to have meetings.”

Ideal for: Access to expensive equipment
Examples: Sudo Room (USA), London Hackerspace, TechShop

Co-working Spaces of Varying Style

The beauty of co-working spaces are the unbelievable variety. From strict and quiet to friendly innovation bonanzas, they offer all kinds of support. Some are more invasive than others, offering perks that range far beyond a coffee machine. Many are run by like-minded founders and their experienced entourage. They may listen to pitches, share duties or offer helpful (totally optional) seminars. They might also just offer you a place to hang your hat and do your work. These are ideal spaces for being involved in an accelerator-like environment while keeping full control of your start-up and avoiding the type grip of rules or sponsors.

Ideal for: Making connections, getting outside help
Examples: Fishburners (Australia), Tech Liminal (USA), AfriLabs (Africa)

Research Institutes

For the founder without a startup. Companies like these take great ideas and turn them into start-ups. To do so, they seek out founders. It’s sounds almost counterintuitive to the start-up culture, but for the right mind these scenarios might be ideal. This is for the entrepreneur that wants to be part of the culture but doesn’t have the “golden ticket” idea yet. Much like a carefully constructed boy-band, these institutes want to create a team that will flourish.

Ideal for: Entrepreneurs
Examples: NoveLook (Israel)

Meetup Platforms

Hackathons and similar short events sound, at first, like what nerds might do on any given weekend. These platforms, however, thrive on a very vital part of innovation: speed. Technology, more than almost any other field, becomes irrelevant fast. Start-ups that take too much time to create, develop, or pitch are left in the dust. Events like Startup Weekend push individuals together with only the common goal of creating. They are a whirlwind education in how to become a successful start-up. Going into these events with a bit of forethought may also yield extra possibilities. Winners don’t just get a medal; they may get written up in Venture Beat or TechCrunch. Even BBC and CNN cover such events.

Ideal for: Mingling, Exposure and Experience
Examples: Startup Bus, Startup Weekend, Oxygen

University Accelerators

Young people are becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of starting their own business. Multiple studies have shown that today’s students are deeply imbibed with an entrepreneurial spirit. They don’t want to work at corporations; they want to create something on their own. This is likely why university accelerators are becoming so widespread. Different programs have different requirements. While some have rather unusual requirements (for example, that a founder be enrolled in a certain program at their school) others actually accept founders that simply have a connection to the university—whether as an alumni, or even as a member of town. These programs also vary wildly in usefulness and the most successful are tied to the big, obvious names, like Harvard, MIT and Northeastern. They do not necessarily offer the same wealth of resources that a full-blown accelerator might. There are no outside mentors, and fewer big connections.

Ideal for: Young folks, getting your feet wet and staying local
Examples: Stanford StarX, Accelerate Cambridge

Startup-In-Residence

Another version of the city-funded program is start-up residency. Many of these wants start-ups to focus on certain local issues or ways to give back to their community. Of course, that can mean a lot of things. From fostering community, analyzing local data or helping the local economy. While many people may not think of themselves as the philanthropist-types, many new apps and technologies could make great changes to communities. Don’t forget, sometimes these residency programs do come from big companies looking to improve their own business.

Ideal for: Developing start-ups looking for outlets
Examples: San Fransisco Entrepreneurship in Residence, Amsterdam Entrepreneurship in Residence, Dell Startup-in-Residence

Public Programs

These are programs designed or highly backed by cities, counties or towns specifically to retain talent and start-ups in the area. They look a lot like incubators and accelerators, but with a very different goal. While they do want their start-ups to succeed, the overall goal is to help local companies thrive and stay in the area. As a result, they want to make their start-ups happy. They generally offer similar services as a traditional incubator, but rather scaled down. Granting space and mentorship, they might be a more reasonable support system for the everyday startup.

Ideal for: Getting an accelerator experience
Examples: International Labs Madrid, Welcome City Lab (France, tourism-specific)

Given how many accelerators will fail their start-ups, or how many start-ups are unprepared to be properly accelerated, these alternatives are always a step in the right direction. If organic acceleration just won’t cut it, or your start-up snagged a spot at the famed TechStars accelerator, then more traditional programs may be worth a try. Just don’t forget that it’s all a business. Not just any old building with a “start-up accelerator” sign will do the trick.

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On December 1, 2015 Startupbootcamp, Europe’s leading business acceleration platform kicked off the second edition of its program, centering on the Internet of Things and Smart Data in Barcelona.

More than 2,000 startups were evaluated during the initial stage of the project, 19 teams were selected to travel to Barcelona and participate on 9-10 November for the Selection Days and an intense closing selection process that yielded 11 final startups.

These startups will receive funding, be set up at the Media-TIC’s Barcelona Growth Centre for 3 months, and will enjoy access to a complete line-up of coaching, workshops, master classes and individual sessions. Their solutions encompass a wide range of issues related to the Internet of Things and data analysis.

The 11 startups with plans on changing the IoT and Smart Data landscape are:

1. DATAQUARKS (United Kingdom)
A self service end-to-end what-if platform can plug into any data set to provide comprehensive scenario management, persistence of scenario outcomes and visualisation.

2. EXCELERA (Spain)
Easing the integration of Sensor Systems in all kind of devices and markets: from the Internet of Things to Automobile.

3. HUTOMA (Italy)
A deep learning based AI that can be trained by developers using sample phrases stored in a text file. No need for developers to hard code conversation patterns ahead of time.

4. INTRANETUM (Spain)
SaaS knowledge management platform that uses online machine learning, to get real-time feedback.

5. LIFETRACKER (Poland)
Intelligent mobile application that manages tasks, devices and services automatically based on tracking and predicting user behavior.

6. MEMiO (Italy)
Smart pillbox that provides the right pill at the right time, associated wearable reminder activates an acoustic signal to remind the elderly when it’s time to take the medication and get closer to pillbox to take them. App for the caregiver plans, changes and checks the therapy, plus automatic composition of the dose of drugs.

7. REALSPEAKER (Russia)
Audio-visual enhancement to speech recognition systems.

8.RECUALIZER (Sweden)
Evaluation platform that discovers the person behind the CV, specially for those who have no experience in hiring.

9. SEKG (Spain)
An online platform that helps companies understand consumer behaviours and audiences by passively tracking their emotional reactions through wearables.

10. STORM (Spain)
Combining an ad hoc POS device and a digital platform to connect micro merchants with their stock suppliers and banks. Use transaction data, to generate automated loans and commercial proposals to the micro businesses.

11. WIMARK (Russia)
The Virtual Universal Wi-Fi Controller WiMark – software for centralized Wi-Fi network management. WiMark Controller can easily replace highly priced hardware WLAN controllers without compromising functionality of network.

2016 looks like it will be a busy and exciting year for these finalists!

Accelerators and Incubators are becoming strangely mainstream in tech, and FinTech especially. Hooking up small names with funding and opportunity, accelerators seem like a great win/­win/­win situation for backers, creators, and consumers. Of course, like everything in business, there is always a dark side. When tech startups get in bed with big banks and corporations to succeed, who really wins? Does that relationship support progress, or undermine it?

Big brands and banks are notoriously unable to get with the times. Due in part to their sheer size, it is far from easy to implement innovative new ideas. Preoccupations with their “legacy” technology, thinking, and processes, often leave them unable to implement the great, new tech that has us drooling. What are big brands to do when they can’t beat start­ups? The answer:

Incubate and Accelerate

Accelerators and Incubators were created to lend office space, funding, and valuable mentoring to start­ups at varying levels of development. Those in charge get a small stake in the start­up, and the start­up team gets the chance to connect, develop, and succeed. Corporate incubators and accelerators take this to a new level: they want these start­ups to not just succeed, but to bring something good back to the parent company.

The Pros of working with corporate pro’s

There are weighty pros that accompany teaming up with big brands. Apart from the great knowledge, money and opportunity, they have perks that can only be given by a major company. They specialize in clearing international red tape, simultaneously easing the many headaches of a start­up, and giving them a leg­-up on competition. They may realize that your start­up is absolute gold, and buy, invest, or send customers your way.

Moreover, folks don’t trust random designers in an office, but they do trust international house­hold names. Corporate accelerators and incubators offer trust and credibility—traits that are beyond vital in the financial industry. In the end, a corporation ties itself to a start­up because they hope an invention will work within real company goals. For start­ups, this can be a god­-send. That corporation doesn’t just want you to finish a product, they want it to succeed.

The Cons, along with a dose of skepticism

There is a vital piece of information FinTech start­ups should know: banks need you. This has even been said by Rhydian Lewis, CEO and founder of the peer­-to-­peer lender RateSetter.

Even the most genuine of corporate accelerators carry baggage. As discussed earlier, large companies cannot simply change and innovate at will. It is the very nature of their business structure. Mentors and advisors impart not only their own specific corporate objectives, funnelling you into whatever direction may most benefit the head company, they will share the same style of business thinking. Rather than an array of business sizes, types, and styles, they will be strikingly similar. There’s no other word for this than indoctrination, no matter how accidental it may be. When you’re learning from one company, you aren’t going to see all of the options.

Many early start­ups might also feel invigorated just to be eyeballed by a major company. They may be willing to forego steps a later­ stage start­up would take. For example, being wary of tying an impartial start­up to a big name. What happens if your start­up parts ways with their accelerator company, or you simply continue innovating in different directions? Other corporates may be wary of taking on a company that is associated with a competitor’s name, processes and ideas.

Bigger is not better for innovation

Large companies inspire ideas of stable work and funding, but that is hardly the case. Rather, their fickleness stems from their position as slaves to the market. They make changes and decisions based on necessity.

Furthermore, choosing a corporate accelerator is almost harder than choosing an ordinary one. With big shiny corporate names and connections attached, it seems like a dream. It’s hard to say “no” to Wells Fargo, Disney, Samsung, or Sprint. It’s also unnecessarily easy for such corporations to set up and back accelerators and incubators. The amount of money and marketing invested doesn’t mean the given accelerator is any good. And these quickly­ created accelerators may close as quickly as they began.

Conflict of Interests

Startups, you have the power. Thanks to the grassroots phenomenon, people are falling head-­over-­heels with the start­up culture. But what happens when innovation doesn’t mean real profit?

Non-­corporate accelerators have much more in common with start­ups than their corporate counterparts. Both are looking for real, cutting-­edge, disruptive innovation that will make money. They aren’t tied down to a massive corporate brand or ­established needs that inherently stifle progress. Droves of start­ups running to corporate accelerators hurts these independent accelerators. Though working with early­ stage start­ups and fostering outside innovation isn’t a core value in big companies, they’re able to coax and rope creators thanks to their money and name.

Lastly, even when a company finds your tech useful, that doesn’t mean they’ll be using it. One participant in a Shell­backed accelerator found that ties to the parent company was not only useless, but hurtful. Matt Bell of Houston ­based GeoDynamics found that other companies were put off by Shell’s slow integration of Bell’s work. When the parent company doesn’t use your technology, potential buyers are left wondering why.

Image and Branding Problems

What do consumers think about start­ups and corporations partnering up? If you aren’t worrying about “selling out” by working with a big company, you may worry about public perceptions of your company. Start­ups hold an allure that is all their own. When Simple, a beloved “anti­-bank” banking system, was acquired by one of the world’s larger banks, the biggest fear was losing customers and engineers who loved Simple specifically because it wasn’t tied to big corporate agendas. The story of Simple is complex and merits an article all its own, but it reminds creators how important branding is. Describing their own corporate accelerator, Coca-Cola VP of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, David Butler, states “we need teen engagement in our brands or we’re done,” hence bringing in outside entrepreneurs and start­ups. Big companies can consume genuine and lovable brands in a heartbeat. This begs the very real question: if corporates are desperate to enlist hip start­ups, why hand over that power?

Summary

People of all backgrounds and intentions are founding tech accelerators. As a start­up, it’s vital to understand what these accelerators want from you. The goal of many FinTech start­ups is to be integrated into big corporate systems; they want to work with established companies, and corporate accelerators will let them do just that. However, that is not a blanket answer to the funding question. Plenty of start­ups will succeed under the watchful eye of their corporate accelerator. We mentioned Barclays in our list of top accelerators, because they’ve had great results and successes. Still, corporate accelerators and incubators should not be seen as elusive golden tickets.

Big companies need disruptive startups. Big banks need FinTech innovators. Without outside brains, many of these companies are done for. Don’t undervalue your start­ups and innovations.

Sam Altman, the President of the seed-stage accelerator Y Combinator, has a thing or two to say about the development of the superhuman machine intelligence (SMI).

In a blog post, this week, he wrote : “The US government, and all other governments, should regulate the development of SMI.  In an ideal world, regulation would slow down the bad guys and speed up the good guys—it seems like what happens with the first SMI to be developed will be very important.”

In the past Altman has found technology to be ‘often over-regulated’, he stresses the need for regulation in this particular aspect of technology and offers broad guidelines to go about the same.

Considering that the first serious dangers from SMI will mostly arise when humans and SMI work together, Altman says, “Regulation should address both the case of malevolent humans intentionally misusing machine intelligence to, for example, wreak havoc on worldwide financial markets or air traffic control systems, and the “accident” case of SMI being developed and then acting unpredictably.”

Citing incidents of ‘trust breach’ that the US intelligence and the Government in general has been accused and sometimes found guilty of, in the last couple of years, he believes an separate body must convene to to bring about any action.

Altman pointed out the need for a framework to observe companies and groups capable of carrying out development of SMIs. He also said that through the development stage operating rules must be chalked out wherein the SMI can’t cause any direct or indirect harm to humanity, referencing Asimov’s laws of robotics.

“We currently don’t know how to implement any of this, so here too, we need significant technical research and development that we should start now,” he wrote.

Altman believes that the topic hasn’t yet gained the importance it deserves: “Part of the reason is that many people are almost proud of how strongly they believe that the algorithms in their neurons will never be replicated in silicon, and so they don’t believe it’s a potential threat. Another part of it is that figuring out what to do about it is just very hard, and the more one thinks about it the less possible it seems.  And another part is that superhuman machine intelligence (SMI) is probably still decades away, and we have very pressing problems now.”

His concern is another in a string of related disquietude raised by the likes of Elon Musk and Bill Gates.

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Having accelerated 200 startups who’ve raised €64,693,647 between them, Startupbootcamp know a thing or two about sniffing out killer startups. For their IoT & Data Accelerator, they received 250 applications, and heard 150 pitches across 12 days, from just 10 were selected. We had a chance to speak to five of the promising companies, and get a better idea of how they’re each trying to overhaul the IoT and data spaces. These five startups are certainly worth keeping an eye on in the months- and years- to come.

Zolertia

by Marc Fàbregas, CEO

The product: Zolertia offers to the market a new and innovative communication hardware to connect anything to Internet in a very simple and energy efficient way, to make real those tens of billions of products that are forecasted to be connected to Internet in 2020.

The business problem: Our products will enable lots of IoT products not feasible so far, thanks to the ultra-low power consumption and the long communication range it has. Furthermore, the available tools and the reliability and robustness of our products will make possible to develop those products and put them into the market in the shortest time ever got.

The most exciting moment so far: We have already sold almost 5000 units of our first product of this family of solutions in 35 countries worldwide. And now we are ready to raise funds to launch in July 2015 the second solution with significant improvements in the technology and new tools to let our customers and our community of users to start creating the future Internet of Everything.

Teraki

by Daniel Richart, Co-founder

The product: Teraki is a game changer in the Internet of Things: We provide a technology that reduces the volume of data that will flood our digital networks. Think of the new products and services which have been enabled in the recent past by the MP3 compression technology in the field of audio.

The business problem: Today, many potential IoT applications are not possible because of restrictions of existing networks’ ability to cope with the expected data volume, high costs associated with transmission over wireless and mobile networks and limitations in storage capacity. Teraki is lowering these barriers to a level that makes many more IoT applications affordable and profitable.

The most exciting moment so far: For us it was an especially encouraging and exciting moment when we got the opportunity to participate at StartupBootcamp in Barcelona. Through this program we already found a great
selection of mentors who strongly support us, and the keen interest of customers is incredibly motivating. With their help we will extract the full potential of the Internet of Things.

eNovalys

by Frank Hoonakker, President

The product: eNovalys propose a suite of tools to manage, share, and exploit the scientific raw data, starting with the chemistry. eNovalys has the capacity to exploit all the data including both success and failures.

The business problem: Today in the word 97% of the scientific knowledge is completely lost because it’s never published. Then the scientist repeat constantly the same experiences and the same failure all around the world, losing time and money. The eNovalys’ solution is to give access to these data and then completely change the paradigm of sharing science, by enabling the common knowledge and make the scientist more efficient.

The most exciting moment so far: Our biggest achievement has to be able to build our first community of 1500 users including a Nobel price of chemistry (Jean-Marie Lehn) and make some of them start to share their knowledge.

Datumize

by Nacho Lafuente, CEO

The product: Datumize is the Smart Data Discovery company. We help companies to increase their revenue and decrease costs. Datumize achieves that through an unique technology that is able to discover business value out of unexplored data. We’ve created an amazing software technology – Datumize Data Collector. This product is able to connect into an internal communication network and capture data in real time.

The business problem: America had always been there for ages. However, someone had to discover it and announce the discovery to the rest of the world. Companies nowadays are like America. Companies have tons of relevant business data that are not being used, and these data need to be discovered. Customers at every industry are struggling to improve their business, and Datumize can really help to make actionable decisions that improve their business. And we’re doing so based on their existing data that are not being profited right now.

The most exciting moment so far: The first time we sold our technology. The vision was sketched on a piece of paper, this innovative customer trusted us… and we made it real. It was the kick-off of this amazing journey.

Plytix

by Morten Poulsen, CEO

The product: Plytix is an online Digital Asset Management that enables brands to store, organize and share their product images. When shared with them, E-tailers will be able to access the images from their CMS and serve them directly on their sites and thereby save them time and money on photoshoot and manual upload.

The business problem: Plytix is solving problems on both sides of the value chain. Currently, brands are unable to get product based analytics data from 3rd party websites that are selling their products, and there’s no uniform way to share product information between brands and retailers. On the other side of the chain, webshops are spending up to 100$ on photoshoots per product – this cost will be completely eliminated with Plytix. Creating one new product in a webshop also takes around 23 minutes- a time we can slash by 80%.

The most exciting moment so far: Since we are still a new company that is still in the development phase, we have very little traction to show. Therefore our biggest achievement so far is to be elected to join the Startupbootcamp IoT&Data accelerator program.

(Image credit: Startupbootcamp)

Today marks the start of the Startupbootcamp Internet of Things & Data accelerator program that, over a period of six months, will see ten select entrepreneurs and their startups develop their offerings to rewarding outcomes.

Focusing on Internet of Things & Smart Data, the global startup accelerator provides these ten startups with support, mentorship, and connections. Managing Partner and Co-Founder of the programme Ángel García described the selected squads as showing “a high level of motivation, dedication, willingness to work hard and the ability to adapt themselves to change and innovation.”

The program was initiated in August 2014, receiving 250 applications, and after twelve Pitch Days around the world and over 150 pitches in total, 10 finalists were announced in December. These finalists have devised disruptive solutions with connected devices and the immense associated data these machines create, explains Startupbootcamp.

Here are the 10 startups chosen, and what they had to say about their products:

• Balázs Weibel, CEO of Cubilog (Hungary): “We save the user time and money by connecting all the smart, semi-smart and dumb/wired devices to one hub and one app. The user can get rid of any other hubs and apps and still control all the devices from one dashboard.”
• Nacho Lafuente, CEO of Datumize (Spain): “We have created a software solution for corporate clients that captures and stores large amounts of data with more efficient energy savings.”
• Frank Hoonakker, President of eNovalys (France): “We offer a new way to manage, share and exploit the unpublished scientific data which is 97% of the scientific production! With our technologies, we will change the paradigm of making science and accelerate the process of creating drugs.”
• Richard Lagrand, co-founder of Muzze (Netherlands): “We help curators and museums to unlock their untold stories trough an app that lets you create an audio tour in three simple steps.”
• Sergio Mottola, CEO of Nuwe (United Kingdom): “Our committed aim is to develop powerful digital health services and, as a result, contribute to the overall well being of society.”
• Blai Carandell Saladich, CEO of Oasys (Spain): “We have the aim to become a central place for the home, a technology that unites families in a unit and with life’s most important resource: water.”
• Morten Poulsen, CEO of Plytix (Denmark): “We provide a more transparent product based web analytics platform with a tool that enables brands to track the sales data of their products across retailers’ websites.”
• Markus Kopf, co-founder of Teraki (Germany): “Teraki wants to be for the IoT what MP3 is for the music industry: our solution employs newest techniques to reduce the amount of data generated by sensors by up to a factor 10 without compromising its quality.”
• Iván Caballero, CEO of The Social Coin (Barcelona): “The Social Coin’s mission is to improve people’s life through fostering and giving visibility to Acts of Kindness. With more success in business, there is more social impact”.
• Marc Fàbregas, CEO of Zolertia (Spain): “We will enable everyone in the world to immerse and create all kind of awesome IoT applications, with an easy and ready-to-use hardware that will let people connect with their things in the same simple and powerful way people are connecting today through Internet.”

2015 looks to be an exciting year for these ten finalists.

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Seven financial tech startups for the 2015 FinTech Innovation Lab London have been shortlisted, and the portfolio ranges from ‘web-based programs assessing real-time geopolitical risks,’ to ‘faster data exchange and reconciliation solutions.”

The seven entrepreneurial efforts have been selected to participate in this year’s FinTech Innovation Lab London, where it was launched by Accenture in 2012, as a collaboration between Accenture and leading financial institutions, supported by the Mayor of London, the City of London Corporation and Innovate UK, according to the news release.

“Being at the cutting edge of technology innovation is crucial to strengthening London’s position as the leading global financial center” said Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor of London. “Programs such as the FinTech Innovation Lab are an essential part of the fintech infrastructure and play an important role in ensuring we continue to generate jobs and attract leading financial businesses to London.”

The seven finalists are:

1. Atsora –  providing financial institutions with innovative tools for small business owners
2. Cytora – a web-based data to provide real-time geopolitical risk assessments to organizations that operate in volatile, emerging or complex markets
3. Duco – a technology company that helps financial services firms control and manage complex data
4. Pontus Networks – assisting businesses increase the performance of their computer systems
5. Ripjar – platform providing real-time social media monitoring and data analysis
6. Torusware – helping businesses increase the processing speed of their IT systems, whether these systems are hosted on the cloud or implemented on premise
7. xWare42 – a software developer whose core product, xPay, allows banks to give customers additional information about their purchases

The applications for the Lab opened in August last year and has been tailor-made to help in growth of startups from the UK, Europe and elsewhere as they innovate with new technologies for the financial services sector. Accenture is hosting the FinTech Innovation Lab London for the third consecutive year, at Level39, Europe’s largest financial technology accelerator space, based in Canary Wharf.

FinTech Innovation Lab London finds support from the likes of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and JPMorgan Chase among others.

Read more here.

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Unfortunately, one great idea does not make a successful company. When it comes to founding a data science startup, a visionary idea is essential, but so is hiring the right team, gaining an in-depth knowledge of your market, and putting in place the best business practices to help your idea flourish. And then of course there’s funding.
Luckily, for the technical genius whose business acumen leaves something to be desired, there’s a new breed of startup accelerators, specifically targeted towards giving your data science innovation the best possible start. Whether you’re looking to take the next step with your million-dollar big data business idea, or just curious to know more about the freshest ideas in data science, our list of the Top 5 Data Science Accelerators is a great guide to current innovation in the field.

1. Data Elite
Data Elite was founded to fill what its founders perceived as a gap in the big data market; according to a company statement, “Despite the plethora of early stage funds & incubators, so far entrepreneurs that are experts in big data have avoided those vehicles; rather, they most often attempt to bootstrap their companies on their own.”

Getting out of bootstrap mode and in to Data Elite is no mean feat; getting in to the programme requires five years big data experience, or a data-related exit amongst the founding team. Data Elite have received hundreds of applications, but for the successful handfull of teams, the benefits are extensive. They receive at least $150,000, office space in San Francisco, and guidance from a crack team of mentors from Facebook, LinkedIn, Couchbase, Actian, Qubole and more. Its first class of startups, announced in May this year, include a “reinvention of the professional address book”, a data visualisation platform which maps personal data, and a consensus opinion aggregator which analyses millions of pieces of content.

2. The Data Incubator
Whereas Data Elite is focused on teams and products, The Data Incubator is focused solely on people. They take engineering PhDs and put them through an intensive 6-week course to flesh out their data science skill set. The course includes bootcamp modules, seminars with mentor data scientists, building a portfolio, and the opportunity to interview with The Data Incubator’s partner companies, including ebay, Etsy, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft and Palantir.

As their website states, The Data Incubator is looking for people who’ve already mastered 90% of the complex and varied skill set of a top-achieving data scientist, and looks to furnish them with the remaining 10%: “the tools and technology stack that make them self-sufficient, productive contributors.” If you know a data science superstar who might eligible for the programme, it’s worth referring them; their may even be some compensation in it for you too.

3. Incubio
Running for the past two years, Incubio is a startup accelator focused solely on big data because, the words of CEO Andres Manso, “we know that [Big Data] will change every area of human activity”.

You provide Incubio with your big idea for big data, and they in turn provide continuous training, mentorship, recruitment, office space, and assistance in legal, design and marketing. They’re currently populating their fifth batch of startups; Incubio-incubated projects include a SaaS solution for Social Media Managers, a tool for turning any internet content into quizzes in real time and a peer-to-peer marketplace for students and private tutors. You can apply for the current batch on their website.

4. StartupBootcamp Internet of Things & Data Barcelona
The Internet of Things is often cited as the next disruptive revolution tech, with 50 billion connected devices expected by 2020. The StartupBootcamp Accelator for the Internet of Things wants to find companies at the cutting edge of this emerging field.

The programme offers extensive mentorship from over 100 mentors, from industry-leading companies like Intel, Yahoo, Cisco, Telefonica, Facebook & Oracle, office space in the Barcelona-based startup hub, €405k+ in partner services, and exposure to over 200 top VCs and Angel Investors. Applications for the first round have currently just closed, but we will be bringing you updates on the chosen teams as they’re announced in the New Year.

5. Stanford’s StartX Accelator
StartX is a non-profit accelerator, founded to fuel Stanford’s top entrepreneurs, with a focus on education. If you’re not affiliated with Stanford, don’t despair- in the summer class, 52% were Stanford alumni and faculty, and 48% were not Stanford-affiliated. However, competition is steep- the average funding raised by teams entering the accelerator in the summer was 1.4 million.

If you make the grade, the benefits are extensive. Their 200-strong mentor network includes Founders and Co-Founders from Facebook, Palantir, LinkedIn, Sun Microsystems and Match.com. They also offer over $100,000 in resources and customised educational programmes to deliver training and expertise where the Founders need it most.

StartX isn’t specifically data science-focused, but companies from the summer class include open-source machine learning server Prediction.io, mobile EdTech platform Score Beyond and Citrine Informatics, who use large-scale data and machiene learning to predictively design new materials. A full list of participating companies can be found here.

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Eileen McNulty-Holmes – Editor

Eileen has five years’ experience in journalism and editing for a range of online publications. She has a degree in English Literature from the University of Exeter, and is particularly interested in big data’s application in humanities. She is a native of Shropshire, United Kingdom.

Email: eileen@dataconomy.ru

(Image credit: Startup Bootcamp)