Since 2015, the OVHcloud Startup Program has been engaging with the global startup ecosystem to give startups and scaleups the opportunity to build their products and solutions on our cloud. We offer them free cloud credits and technical consultations, as well as help accessing funding and new customers.
 | The program has two levels: tech start-ups get €10,000 of cloud credits and tech scaleups get up to €100,000 of cloud credits, enabling them to facilitate exponential and international growth. The program is delivered by an amazing global team who ensure that members get to experience the full benefits of the Startup Program as well as OVHcloud’s value propositions of tech freedom, interoperability, price-performance and data sovereignty, wherever they are in the world. |
To date, the Program has received over 11,500 applications and we’ve assisted almost 4,000 startups and scaleups through the program. Check out these case studies or websites to see our Startup Program success stories: HarfangLab, Internxt, CUX.io, Leetify and dSign Systems. We had a very active and successful FY23 with a record number of new members onboarded globally.
Fast Forward Accelerator
We recently launched our Fast Forward Accelerator, a go-to-market offering that helps accelerate our members. Fast Forward includes increased visibility for members through our Shine On program, 1-on-1 mentoring to solve cloud and business challenges through Mentoring for Startups, access to relevant content to accelerate growth through our Content Hub, and access to market and funding through our Showcase events.
Showcase Event
In 2024, we will offer more for our members through Fast Forward. A key need for scaleups currently is access to funding and new customers due to tough economic conditions. Our global virtual Showcase event on 21 March 2024, in partnership with Empact Ventures, will bring our startups and scaleups together alongside venture capital companies, industry and other ecosystem enablers to create the connections required to access funding and business opportunities. We will have a focus on AI and healthtech startups with a few specific opportunities for participants:
- OVHcloud Startup Program Showcase Contest: this Contest will culminate at the Showcase event with 3 startup finalists and 3 scaleup finalists pitching for a €3k and €5k cash prize respectively as well as up to €100k free cloud credits and 1-on-1 mentoring for their businesses. Entries close on 15 February 2024 so enter to pitch and win here now!
- Pitch for funding and business opportunities: selected startups and scaleups looking for funding and business opportunities will pitch live to VCs and industry. Connections will be made between interested parties after the event. Sign up to pitch or attend the Showcase event here.
- Cost of cloud workshop: this workshop will help VCs and startups to understand the challenges when managing cloud costs and how startups can overcome them. Sign up for this workshop and the Showcase event here.
Content Hub
To help more members grow in a scalable way, we have also launched a Content Hub which brings together all of our content for members in one convenient place. Key new content is the addition of a podcast channel that is designed to connect our members with our ecosystem of partners and startups. The podcasts appeal to busy founders looking to solve urgent tech or non-tech issues so that they can continue to grow their startups or scaleups rapidly. The podcasts provide important nuggets of information in a short amount of time that will confirm decisions founders need to make for their businesses. Click here to choose from our podcasts on:
- How to boost software development efficiency
- Increasing your company valuation with a compelling narrative
- Tips for hiring the right tech team to help scale your business
- Accelerating your startup’s growth with the help of industry analysts
In the future, we will be launching vertical specific programs within Fast Forward with tailored content and business opportunities for participants, so watch this space for more details.
OVHcloud Value Proposition
The Startup Program team believes OVHcloud’s value propositions of tech freedom, interoperability, price-performance and data sovereignty are of huge benefit to startups, so we want to develop content that will help the startup ecosystem understand our value. A good example of this is a recent video we produced on data sovereignty which you can watch here.
Mentoring for Startups
Another value-add that gets good feedback every year is Mentoring for Startups. This program offers members mentoring support from OVHcloud employees worldwide. In this way, OVHcloud employees provide Startup Program members with their expertise and experience to help them develop their businesses. Each startup is provided with seven hours of personalized support for the topics they choose with their mentor, to be used over a period of 4 months. Entries are open for the next cohort of Mentoring for Startups which starts on 4 March 2024. As a Startup Program member, you can apply to participate in the next cohort before the 8 February 2024 deadline by speaking to a manager in your region here.
If you’re not an OVHcloud Startup Program member and would like to tap into all these amazing benefits, you can apply to join the program here.
Philip has been working with startups for the last 20 years within the VC, technology transfer and business incubation industries. He has accreditation as a mentor and business coach with Mentors and Business Coaches International and currently leads the OVHcloud Startup Program globally. OVHcloud is a leading European hyperscaler and pure-play cloud provider.