Fostering the Startup Technology Journey from Innovation to Commercialization
April 19th, 2023 – Today, the Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP), the nonprofit organization bringing hyperscale innovations to all, announces new membership tiers that make the OCP Community and its services more accessible to startups, especially early and mid-stage startups with very little revenue. Alongside new startup membership tiers, the OCP is also launching a startup program where it will select startups that align with its strategic directions, making additional services available to them. Entry into both the startup membership tiers and the startup program will be based upon an initial assessment and require an annual evaluation.
“The OCP Foundation and its Community prides itself on being one of the leading innovators in the information technology industry and recognizes that it continually needs to develop new adjacent communities to maintain the OCP Community as a dominant force for change. Being true to its mission of being a catalyst for taking the latest innovations developed by at scale data center operators and making them available to all, making it easy and beneficial for startups to participate in the OCP Community provides another source of innovation that the OCP can tap," said Cliff Grossner Ph.D., Chief Innovation Officer at the Open Compute Project Foundation.
The new OCP Startup Membership will have tiered pricing designed to match the stage of the startup. Key benefits of the startup membership will include (1) eligibility to lead an OCP Project, (2) options to list products and solutions at the OCP Marketplace as well as potential use of OCP certification marks, (3) marketing assistance in terms of visibility on OCP social media channels and blogs, (4) use of OCP’s Career Center, (5) access to OCP Summit’s Media and Analyst pre-brief events, and (6) qualification for reduced booth pricing at OCP events.
The OCP Startup Program layers on additional services for OCP startup members. Entry into the OCP Startup Program is by invitation only and startups are selected from OCP’s startup members whose business aligns with OCP strategic directions. Additional benefits of the OCP Startup Program include assignment of a mentor, being showcased at special events during OCP Summits, and additional options for lower priced booths at OCP events.
“We have designed the Startup Membership tiers and Program to provide access to the OCP Community for industry feedback and networking to connect with potential partners, investors, customers and mentors. The OCP will also be able to assist startups with visibility in the market, access to talent and through community-driven standardizations remove technology barriers that might be holding back their growth,” said Lesya Dymyd Ph.D., Future Technologies Symposium Lead at OCP.
As the OCP Startup program matures we look forward to including other potentially interested parties such as investors in the form of angel, venture and investment units of OCP member companies that want to meet potential startups and get exposure to new technologies. As part of the mentoring provided in the OCP Startup Program the OCP Community can provide feedback to startups preparing their investor presentations and perhaps make introductions as appropriate.
“The cycle of innovation embodied in startup companies has never been more important in helping meet the technology challenges we face in the Information Technology marketplace. As many companies are reducing their budgets for research during the current economic uncertainty, the timing is good for the OCP Community to move to help startups on their journey to success, bringing innovations to new and emerging markets,” said Rohit Mehra, Group Vice President, Network and Telecommunications at IDC.
About the Open Compute Project Foundation
At the core of the open compute project (OCP) is its community of hyperscale data center operators, joined by telecom and colocation providers and enterprise IT users, working with vendors to develop open innovations that when embedded in products are deployed from the cloud to the edge. The OCP Foundation is responsible for fostering and serving the OCP community to meet the market and shape the future, taking hyperscale led innovations to everyone. Meeting the market is accomplished through open designs and best practices, and with data center facility and IT equipment embedding OCP community developed innovations for efficiency, at-scale operations, and sustainability. Shaping the future includes investing in strategic initiatives that prepare the IT ecosystem for major changes, such as AI & ML, optics, advanced cooling techniques, and composable silicon. Learn more at www.opencompute.org.
# # #
Media Contact
Dirk Van Slyke
Open Compute Project Foundation
Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer
dirkv@opencompute.org
Mobile: +1 303-999-7398