Apr 10, 2019

Share Article HardwareCon and the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup today announced they are joining forces to merge the hardware industry’s very best content and speakers with the world’s hottest hardware pitch competition. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and PITTSBURGH (PRWEB)April 10, 2019 HardwareCon and the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup today announced they are joining forces to merge the hardware industry’s very best content and speakers with the world’s hottest hardware pitch competition. The 2019 HardwareCon lineup includes a wide range of investors, innovators, thought leaders, strategists and successful startup founders. This year, it will also include the preliminary and final rounds of the West Coast Regional Hardware Cup pitch competition. Some of the hottest attractions at this year’s show include: The panel “How AI is Making Hardware Sexy Again” featuring Comet Labs, Samsung Catalyst Fund, and Zymergen, Inc A Keynote talk by Dr. Ashwin Ram, the Technical Director of AI at Google on “Hardware as the Interface between AI, ML, and Data” The Hardware Cup preliminary rounds - featuring judges from Event Horizon Ventures, and Simmons Goodspeed Ventures The Hardware Cup final round - featuring judges from Toyota AI Ventures, Anzu Partners, Honda Innovations, and Make In LA Greg Fisher , Founder & CEO of Hardware Massive explains that "hardware is at a pivotal moment as the transformative smart technologies of our time. AI, Machine Learning, and the data behind them will increasingly leverage physical products as the inputs, and the interfaces that change our world as the outputs. At HardwareCon 2019, we’re bringing together the hardware innovation ecosystem to explore these game-changing technologies and get deals done.” Ilana Diamond , managing director of the AlphaLab Gear hardware accelerator in Pittsburgh (which produces the International Hardware Cup), added: “Hardware can be a capital intensive business, and we have seen many early stage companies that need a little extra jump to get to the next level. This is why AlphaLab Gear started the International Hardware Cup in 2015. It is now in 7 US cities and 4 other countries around the globe. We are growing each year, as more and more investors have seen the huge opportunities in hardware and the barriers to entry come down to starting a hardware company.” About HardwareCon HardwareCon, the premier conference for hardware innovation, provides attendees with an opportunity to learn about the latest technology and business trends in AI, Machine Learning, Robotics, IoT, Blockchain, and Product Design. Attendees will hear from leading Fortune 500 hardware brands such as Google, Dragon Innovation, Autodesk, and Xilinx/Avnet, and will have the opportunity to connect & collaborate with top investors while interacting with the most promising startup companies from across the global hardware ecosystem. About the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup The AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup is a pitch competition for early-stage hardware startups. The Hardware Cup tours 7 US regions, with events in: Pittsburgh, San Jose, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, Boulder, and Atlanta. Other countries around the globe also participate, including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and India. To be eligible, companies must be an early-stage hardware startup with at least one physical product component. Each team gives a short pitch followed by about 4 minutes of Q&A with the panel of judges made up of local VCs and investors. Winning teams from each US region will get $3,000 in cash and other prizes. The winner of the International finals will receive a $50,000 convertible-debt investment from Startbot VC. Share article on social media or email: View article via: