4 reasons why you should apply for Cycle 2 of Qualcomm Design in India Challenge II

This article is sponsored by Qualcomm.

Cycle 2 of the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge II (QDIC II) is now open. After an exhilarating first cycle that saw eight companies being selected for technical assistance and development, Cycle 2 of the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge II is all set to find the next set of smart companies attempting cutting-edge innovation.

The challenge, first launched in December 2015 in association with Nasscom, is now part of the Qualcomm Design in India Programme (QDIP), which aims to build a core design, technological, and innovation hub in the country, and exclusively focuses on product design and development startups. QDIP has also been extended to support localisation needs of smartphone OEMs in India.

Cycle 2 seeks to discover more companies in the following sectors:

• Smart Infrastructure
• Biometric Devices
• Payment Terminals
• Agricultural Technology
• Medical Technology
• Rural IoT

Cycle 1 is in progress and winners from the eight shortlisted companies will be announced in August 2017. The second cycle, meanwhile, runs through to December 2017.

Applications for the second cycle of QDIC II are now open, and here’s why you shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity.

1. $10,000 in prize money for up to six companies, and $75,000 for the top two

Up to eight companies will be shortlisted by July for Cycle 2, each of which will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize. The prize money will enable them to convert their design submissions into workable prototypes at the Qualcomm Innovation Lab. The startups will also get mentorship and technical support from Qualcomm India team for the duration of the programme, till the final evaluation in December. The top two finalists will win up to $75,000 each

2. Unlimited access to Qualcomm’s Innovation Labs

If that wasn’t inviting enough already, the shortlisted will also get complete access to state-of-the-art incubation centres at Qualcomm’s Innovation Labs in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. So, for six months, selected start-ups will get to work with the best engineering talent as well as tools and equipment to help companies design, layout, calibrate and do rapid prototyping, among other things. The shortlisted companies will also get evaluation kits and development boards, along with tools to optimise their devices.

3. Access to industry experts and mentors Mentors from Qualcomm India, as well as other industry experts, will share their experiences with shortlisted participants. The selected companies will have an opportunity to directly interact with these experts, with a chance to learn from some of the most important names in the global innovation scene, something that they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.

4. An opportunity to know where you stand

Here’s the clincher. The challenge offers companies a chance to test the waters, and prove themselves to the world. For product and hardware design startups, this is one of the best opportunities to be recognised and rewarded for their ideas.

Head over to the QDIC site to find out more! Applications close on June 25, 2017.

Eligibility criteria for Qualcomm Design in India Challenge II

• Startups must be based in India with a minimum of six months of operations in hardware design and solutions
• Startups must demonstrate hardware designs on any SoC platforms with HLOS such as Android, Windows etc. or Open Source Linux (ideally using Snapdragon SoCs and/or other platforms from Qualcomm)
• Hardware design proposals for the first cycle of the challenge must be focussed on one of these domains – Smart Infrastructure, Biometric Devices, Payment Terminals, Agricultural Technology, Medical Technology and Rural IoT

Apply for the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge II today. Applications are open from May 25 to July 15, 2017.