As the home of MIT and many other top-tier universities, Boston has a large pool of talent that is well-qualified to take on AI, robotics and other deep tech concentrations.
That’s why Intel has chosen Boston as the first U.S. market for Intel Ignite, a 12-week accelerator program for early-stage, deep tech startups. The accelerator launched in 2019 in Israel and expanded to Munich in 2020.
“Boston is a natural launch location for Intel Ignite because it is highly ranked as one of the top U.S. cities for startup quality,” Mark Castleman, managing director for Intel Ignite in Boston, said in a statement. “Startups in the Boston area also tend to be highly focused on deep tech, which makes sense due to the close proximity of many of the most advanced technical universities in the U.S. And although we are centering certain activities in Boston, the program is adaptable and we are accepting deep tech companies from across the U.S., so all top disruptors should apply.”
The first cohort will begin its work in mid-November. Ignite will start accepting applications for its second cohort in the spring of 2023.
Nearly 100 early-stage companies have graduated from the Intel Ignite program. The program pairs founders with entrepreneurs and technical experts within that founder’s field. In addition to hands-on mentorship, the connection to Intel’s global network has led to more than $1 billion in funding for Ignite startups.
Tzahi Weisfeld, vice president of Intel and general manager of Intel Ignite, said in a statement that approximately 600 startups apply for each cohort but only 30 are chosen.
“We put Intel’s experience and access to work for these deep tech startups to find their product-market fit, provide validation and credibility to their solution, offer access to markets and customers and, eventually, enhance their valuation to support their fundraising goals.”
