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Mumbai, India: Zone Startups / India, a joint venture of Toronto-based Ryerson Futures Inc. and the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute, in collaboration with the Government of Ontario, Canada and IBM Global Entrepreneurship Program announces the 2nd Edition of the Next BIG Idea Contest.  The competition seeks to discover India’s 5 most innovative technology companies who are looking to leverage a presence in Ontario, Canada, as a vehicle to expand to North America. The winners will incubate their company for two weeks in the globally ranked #5 University Business Incubator in the world, the Digital Media Zone (DMZ) at Ryerson University, in Toronto, including flights and hotels. Using the DMZ as a landing pad, the entrepreneurs will receive mentorship, business development advice and valuable international experience. The competition opens online July 30, 2014 and closes September 15, 2014.

Mumbai-based Satyen Kothari, Chairman & Founder of CitrusPay was a winner of the inaugural Next BIG Idea contest. Satyen says, “The DMZ and Zone Startups /India’s commitment towards enabling the next generation of entrepreneurs is remarkable. Rarely have I seen this level of enthusiasm, this kind of friendly approachability, and these kinds of resources in my 19 years as an entrepreneur. Combine these, and you have a potent mixture for success. Startups that get to be part of the DMZ family are a blessed lot – your probability of making it big just increased.”

“We are thrilled with the quality of technology startups applying to be part of the Next Big Idea contest.  We strongly believe in the global sharing of experience and networks for success, and look forward to hosting this year’s winners in Toronto.” Matt Saunders, President of Ryerson Futures and Zone Startups.

“This contest is an opportunity for best-in-class Indian start-ups to get an introduction to the North American market, and valuable new business connections,” says Jens-Michael Schaal, Senior Economic Officer, Ontario International Marketing Centre. “Ontario is a leader in innovation on the global stage, and we welcome pioneering companies and ideas to add to our innovation ecosystem.”

“IBM has a deep commitment to the entrepreneurial community, and that prompted us to partner with Zone Startups on the Next BIG Idea contest. Since launching the IBM Global Entrepreneur Program in 2010, IBM has helped launch more than 500 new businesses in key areas such as green energy, health care and transportation. We strongly believe that innovation from the startup community is critical to building a smarter planet”,  says Karthik Padmanabhan – Business Unit Executive (Ecosystem Development), IBM India & South Asia.

“As the old saying goes – All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come. Through last year’s Big Idea contest we have seen this happen in reality and witnessed some great ideas being transformed into reality at Zone Starups India. This year we hope to identify, encourage and accelerate many more ideas that can potentially change the way we live our lives. I look forward to seeing many bright young minds participate in this year’s Next Big Idea contest”, says Mr. Ambarish Datta, MD & CEO – BSE Institute Ltd.

Follow us at @ZoneStartUpsIn and #nextbigideacontest to stay on top of contest developments.

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About Zone Startups:
Zone Startupsis an international accelerator program, with its India office in partnership with, and based at, the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai. It is built on the unique model developed at Ryerson University through the Digital Media Zone & Ryerson Futures that has attracted international attention.Since its launch in February 2014, Zone Startups /Indiahas onboarded 34 startups, offering them state-of-art infrastructure, mentorship, business development support, industry contacts, funding & investor access, and a gateway to North America.

About Ryerson Futures
Ryerson Futures Inc. (RFI) is a Founders First Accelerator program, focused onassistingearly stage technology companies as they grow and scale their businesses. RFI manages a venture fund and provides seed financing, advisory + business services and customer connections to select startups in exchange for an equity stake. RFI also works with corporate clients to assemble teams of entrepreneurial innovators to research, prototype, or pilot solutions to industry problems. Ryerson Futures is helping drive Canada’s innovation economy at home, and around the world.  For more information, visit www.ryersonfutures.ca.

About The Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University
The Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University (DMZ) is Canada’s largest incubator and multidisciplinary co-working space for young entrepreneurs. Set atop Yonge-Dundas Square, and infused with the energy and resources of downtown Toronto, this hub of digital media innovation, collaboration and commercialization is home to both startups and industry solution-providers. The DMZ leads the way in experiential learning and business success by creating a unique ecosystem of education and entrepreneurship. Emerging leaders fast-track their product launches and grow their companies in this supportive community by connecting with mentors, customers and each other. Since opening in April 2010, the DMZ has stimulated Canada’s digital economy by incubating and accelerating 133 startups and fostering almost 2,000 jobs. For more information about the Digital Media Zone, visit www.ryerson.ca/dmz.

Ryerson University is Canada’s leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 38,000 students, including 2,300 master’s and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 155,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada’s leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca.

About Ontario IMC

Ontario International Marketing Centre is a part of the Ontario of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure. The Ontario IMC facilitates bi-lateral trade and investment between India and Ontario, promotes Ontario products and services, facilitates meetings between Ontario suppliers and Indian buyers, and helps Indian companies seize investment opportunities in Ontario and setting-up a presence to target the North American market. In India, the International Marketing Centre is located in the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi, with a satellite office within the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai.
Ontario, Canada’s business environment is designed for global success. Ontario is an efficient North American hub for international investment and trade. It offers direct access to the US$19+ trillion North American market; a multicultural workforce; streamlined regulations; a low-risk investment climate, competitive business costs, a great quality of life and more. World leading companies in the automotive industry, aerospace, life sciences and biotech, ICT, water and wastewater technologies, financial services, mining and more have invested billions to start or expand their operations in Ontario. They are also leveraging Ontario’s competitive advantages to develop breakthrough technologies, products and services for global markets. Indian enterprises that have set-up base in Ontario include: Essar Group (Algoma Steel Inc.), Mahindra Satyam, Wipro Technologies, Suzlon Energy, HCL, Ranbaxy, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank and many more. The province boasts an export-oriented GDP that is larger than that of Belgium, Switzerland or any of the Scandinavian countries. Ontario’s total international trade (exports and imports) was over C$434 million in 2013.

About IBM Global Entrepreneur Program
This program of IBM is for Startups to spark innovation and help startup companies bring technologies that tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues – such as healthcare, water management and efficient energy resources – with a faster Go to Market. The Startups under the IBM  Global Entrepreneur Program can leverage the best of the IBM Technologies such as Bluemix, Big Data, Analytics, Mobility, IOT with the technology mentorship of IBM experts.
Startups can also look forward for the Go to Market support from IBM to speed up their Sales Cycles. Startups can also make their Applications/ Platforms  Enterprise ready by using the IBM labs facilities for Stress testing.

About IBM Smart Camp

The IBM SmartCamp is an annual  IBM competition for Startups.  IBM SmartCamps judge the best start-up company in different cities around the globe, rewarding the winners with mentoring, services, access to industry experts and deeper partnership opportunities from IBM, venture capital firms IBM.  IBM SmartCamps are designed to provide Startups entrepreneurs with the mentoring and insight needed to continue to drive growth and innovation in their markets.  To apply you have to be a IBM Global Entrepreneur Program Member.

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