Global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, Huawei, has entered into a partnership with NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of the National University of Singapore (NUS), to launch its first Internet-of-Things (IoT)-focused accelerator, known as i5Lab, in Singapore.
According to the company, this move will aim to provide start-ups with mentorship, access to investors, access to industry-grade test beds, and global co-marketing opportunities. The accelerator seeks to support the development of Singapore’s next unicorn company by nurturing promising start-ups with Huawei’s real network environment and open platform as well as its global Go-to-Market channel capability.
“With one of the most connected societies, open data sets and high-skilled ready talent, Singapore is an excellent test bed to nurture IoT ideas that will bring us closer to a smarter future. We hope that start-ups will make full use of this collaborative platform and leverage on accumulated knowledge of industry-leading technology and expertise from Huawei and our global partners,” said Lim Chee Siong, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Southern Pacific.
Huawei adds that i5Lab will follow the model of its established collaborations with leading software and industry partners to develop solutions that will build a competitive industry ecosystem.
As a global leading ICT player in 170 countries, Huawei claims to work with 45 of the world’s top 50 telecommunications providers that provides connection to two-thirds of the world’s population. Thus, Siong noted that startups will be able to scale up through its global partnerships with leading enterprises in verticals and operators across all continents.
He further added that they will also be invited to participate in joint marketing through Huawei’s Customer Solution Innovation & Integration Experience Center (CSIC), and large-scale events such as NUS Enterprise’s flagship event InnovFest unbound and CommunicAsia.
Professor Wong Poh Kam, Director, NUS Entrepreneurship Centre, which is part of NUS Enterprise, said:
“We are delighted to partner industry-leader Huawei for i5Lab, to further assist the Singapore entrepreneurial community in bringing their innovations to global markets.”
According to the McKinsey report in 2015, the future of economic impact of IoT market stands at $11.1 trillion. It is estimated that more than 100 billion devices will come live by 2025.