A demo day for presentations by the first cohort of 11 companies concluded the IBM Sofia Accelerator, a 12-week intensive professional programme designed to foster the development of solutions targeting the enterprise market (not limited to). The programme targeted companies that have already received funding in the post-Seed and Round A stages, with the ultimate goal of establishing enduring technology and business partnerships with IBM on a global scale.

The Fund of Funds was a partner of the IBM program, together with other key players from the entrepreneurial ecosystem: BESCO, CampusX, BIH, ABLE, NV3, Sofia Angel Ventures, DSK, Econt, Sirma Group, Product Tank and Sofia Investment Agency. A total of 90 founders of 11 startups worked on solutions to accelerate their business through IBM AI and Cloud technologies.

The programme gave the opportunity to include companies from different sectors, such as: fintech, transportation, healthcare, AR/VR, ESG, etc.

The final presentations took place at CampusX in front of an expert investor jury, part of which were our CEOs Victoria Hristova and Pavel Lisev. Together with them, the jury included Stoyan Nedin from our private equity fund Vitosha Venture Partners, Georgi Sidjimkov, Stefan Deskov and Nikolay Haltyakov from Sofia Angel Ventures, Ivaylo Ivanov from Founders Insuture and Ivan Vulev - CTO Easter Europe IBM.

Here are all the companies from the first cohort of this year's IBM Sofia Accelerator:

iUX [3] - Delivering unmatched depth of user-friendly risk intelligence to clients at all times.

nPloy - For Brighter Mondays - Revolutionizing job searches through AI.

Predoctor by VECTOR Labs - From AI to Value - Transforming healthcare data analysis.

Roadsense by Digital Lights - Part of Wiser- Improving road safety.

finbryte - Automating financial processes.

Dynamic Pricing AI - Optimizing pricing strategies.

QuarkXR - Expanding VR and AR possibilities.

RabbIT Solutions - Pioneering smart tech solutions that empower businesses to navigate complex regulatory challenges seamlessly.

Pollenity - Innovating in beekeeping.

Obzerver by TechnologyValley - Advancing surveillance technology.

EPIX.AI - Combining epigenetics and AI to extend health span.

Since April, the startups have gone through personalized training with IBM and external mentors, successful entrepreneurs, investors and IBM ecosystem partners. They all had access to IBM Cloud & watsonx, business partnerships across the IBM network and access to the Partner Plus ecosystem. There will be one more edition of the accelerator this year, from October to December.