Altaide Valley

Qualcomm Ventures Launches QPrize™ Business Plan Competition Supporting Global Entrepreneurship

QPrize™ is a business plan competition sponsored by Qualcomm Ventures with a goal of providing early stage funding to a select number of start-ups

Competition Overview

Qualcomm Ventures is promoting the “QPrize™” a series of international business plan competitions designed to provide over $500,000 in early stage capital for enterprising technology companies. The competition is open to entrepreneurs located throughout the world and will feature semi-final events in key locations where Qualcomm Ventures has active investment offices. Qualcomm Ventures will select one semi-finalists for each of the four contest markets: China, Europe, India and North America. Four semi-finalist will each receive $100,000 (USD) of convertible note funding from Qualcomm Ventures and will be invited to the Qualcomm Ventures CEO Summit in San Diego, Calif. to compete for the Grand Prize. The grand prize winner will receive an additional $150,000 (USD) of convertible note funding, for a total prize of $250,000 (USD) in venture financing. In a joint effort to showcase the best products, services and technologies, the grand prize winner will win a free trip to Barcelona, Spain 15-18 February 2010 to compete as a Finalist in the renowned GSMA Global Mobile Awards - Mobile Innovation Grand Prix. To view the QPrize FAQs for the competition click here. or more information on the GSMA Mobile Innovation Grand Prix click here. Additional details on candidate eligibility and submission guidelines are available at www.qprize2009.com

Timelines

May 7th, 2009 Public launch August 21st, 2009 Deadline for submitting completed business plans *September, 2009 Regional semi-finals *November, 2009 Finals in San Diego, CA

*Please visit www.qprize2009.com for more details on dates for your region

 

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 100 Index, the S&P 500 Index and is a 2009 FORTUNE 500® company. For more information, please visit www.qualcomm.com.

Qualcomm Ventures was launched in the United States in November 2000 with an initial US$500 million allocation. Qualcomm Ventures' aim is to support Qualcomm's mission of enabling and fostering 3G (WCDMA) and wireless Internet markets through strategic investments in privately owned startup ventures. These strategic investments include companies focusing on wireless communication technologies and products serving consumer, enterprise and vertic

al markets worldwide.

Mobile GeekTrip Tour: #2 Romain David

Romain David
Originally uploaded by Mathieu Ramage

Romain works for Lumos Labs, a SF company based developing Lumosity, a fast, fun and effective way to take care of your brain.
The concept of Lumos Labs are pretty simple:

• Scientific brain training games
• Improve memory and attention
• Feedback and tracking
• Full workout in only 10 minutes

Lumos Labs has raised $3Mio in 2008.
Romain joined the Company to head mobile development, which is something he really knows. I met Romain last Summer during TechCrunch August Party, and we met then several times.
I knew he had significant experience on mobile through his position at Orange for more than 5 years. Not only, we had the opportunity to talk about iPhone applications because now Lumos Labs run 2 games on AppStore:
- Memory Matrix
- Speed Brain
I tell you, those games are really addicted: I played with Memory Matrix (which is free of charge, Speed Brain is less than $1), very simple, can't stop!
The potential is big, and Memory Matrix has reached some top positions in Spain, France or Speed Brain in the US. Health industry is a large business...
We can compare those applications to successful games available on Nintendo DS... but so cheaper, and online! The AppStore is definitely a digital revolution in how to consume gaming as other examples...

The funny thing is that those 2 games have been developped... by a company based in France.
Copy that?!

Experience from people like Romain (not really expatriates, he's a very local guy!) are very helpful for French entrepreneurs thinking to localize in Silicon Valley. And understand how things are moving here!

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Orange Camp in Florida: I'll be there!

Could not make it for more than 2 years while I was in charge of mobile business... I have always known that the Orange Camp is THE PLACE TO BE if you wanna accelerate your business flow with Orange.
One to one meetings, pitch spots, networking, short conferences: I think I wall have really interesting time over here!

I will represent 2 smart companies there. Tell me if you have any interest!

Mobile can be smart and useful: check Dial2Do

I discovered Dial2to at Microsoft Launch 08 Conference in Montain View.

Dial2Do lets you do common tasks by just calling a number and speaking. Use it to send EMAIL or TEXT messages, record REMINDERS to help you remember things, post updates to your TWITTER or JAIKU stream and LISTEN to your favourite internet content. It’s easy and handsfree. A voice to text machine!

I received some news from them recently regarding new features:

• Some cool new commands - you can now post *and* listen to your email, calendar, twitter, friendfeed, blogs, evernote, i want sandy, mosio and more                         
• Some fun, simple content to listen to: Huffington Post, TechCrunch, New York Times, Yahoo Finance, etc. And if you really must, Perez Hilton!                         
• Roll-your-own commands: if you don’t like what we’ve provided - make your own! You can now make your own commands in Dial2Do and have something happen - post to a URL, send an email or read you some RSS content                         
• An improved layout to assist your navigation around the site

I asked few questions to Ivan MacDonald, CEO few days before last Mobile2.0 Conference in San Francisco...

So just to give a good example on what a great mobile application could be, some simple questions:

- What is Dial2do? 

Dial2Do is a phone-service for drivers. It lets you get things done safely and conveniently by just using your voice. You can send Text Messages, Send and Listen to Email, Create Reminders, Update your Twitter stream and use a range of other services by just calling a number and saying what you want to do.

- Could you tell us few words regarding Dial2Do background? What's the story behind the product? 

Well we looked at where people spend so much of their time - in the car. Over 80% of Americans commute to work.  I myself drive every day and of course some of my brightest ideas for things I should do come to me during this time :)  Without Dial2Do, this time is typically spent listening to the radio or maybe making phone calls. But that's about it.  So many ideas for things you should do come to you during that time, but you can't act on those ideas, especially with the increasing Hands-free safety legislation in the US and elsewhere.  So we wanted to make a service that would be kind of like the 'drivers assistant' a number you phone when you want to get something done.  It might be something simple, like creating a little reminder for a thought that just came into your head, or you might want to listen to your email to check for a particular message from someone, or add an event to your calendar.   We wanted to offer "One number to get things done."

- What is your vision of mobile space and how being successful in it! Is profitability a reachable target? 

Great new interfaces and 3G are finally making mobile a reality for data driven services.  Of course they don't really help during the time you are driving for 40-90 minutes per day. So we think that Voice activation has a huge future.  In fact users expectations that they can get things done while mobile, increases the opportunity to voice activate the services they use the most.  And of course the jury is still out on what kindof business models users like for mobile services.  We don't think there is a 'one size' fits all in the great debate about flat-rate subscriptions -v- pay as you use -v- advertising but we do think that if you create a compelling service that people use/call several times a day you can monetize it profitably.

- We met in Silicon Valley the first time. You come regularly. Are you looking for things you don't have in Europe and why?!

Well about 75% of our users are in the US right now and we have focused there which is maybe unusual for a startup from Ireland.  But the US is a good opportunity for us, Hands-free legislation has really just started to kick in in California and elsewhere just this year, so our offering is being received well by users.  Also, so many of the companies who are partnering with are in Silicon Valley, so it makes sense for us to be there.

There's some additional ideas around that product. My 10 cents (let's be optimistic).

(FR) G1 tested by Guillaume Dumortier

Guillaume works in San Jose (California) for Bouygues Telecom US. He made this video to demonstrate the Google phone and give his first feeling...
The video is in French...

Mobile 2.0 in San Francisco: Startup registration!

The Mobile 2.0 conference organized next month in San Francisco Monday November 3rd 2008 provides a platform for pre-A round and A round start-ups focusing on mobile applications & services looking for funding and trade press, tech blogger and early-adopter attention.

The only thing entrepreneurs in mobile have to do is fill-in the registration below to apply to present at the Mobile 2.0 Launch Pad at Mobile 2.0 Event - any start-up with a mobile service or application can apply.

Entering the start-up selection costs $249.00. If your company is not selected you can apply your payment to the Mobile 2.0 registration fee.

Deadline for submission is October 17, 2008 at midnight PST.

The selected startups will get to present at the Mobile 2.0 launchpad and will also be invited to participate in the -invitation only- investor breakfast.

Part of the team organizing the event is well known in mobile space, like Rudy De Waele or Daniel Appelquist.
See you next month in San Francisco then!

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