South East European Startups Select IBM Cloud

At its THINK South East Europe conference on Bled in Slovenia, IBM announced momentum of its cloud solutions among European startups. Several companies in the region have turned to the IBM Cloud for AI, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to drive innovation and scale globally. They include blockchain-based digital identity provider, Blinking; developer and manufacturer of in-wheel electric propulsion systems, Elaphe; and cardiac medical devices developer, HeartBit.

"Startups and enterprise companies alike find value in IBM's open approach to cloud computing which, coupled with our deep industry expertise, provides the flexibility and services they need as they grow and transform," said Michael Paier, General Manager, IBM Southeast Europe. "By choosing IBM Cloud, organizations can do much more than just cut costs. By tapping exciting cloud-based services like Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT), they can innovate new business models and develop new services on the fly that help them differentiate from the competition.

Startups across South East Europe using the IBM Cloud include:

Blinking, Serbia

Blinking is a blockchain-based digital ID solution provider that gives users control over their data, using Hyperledger Fabric on the IBM Cloud. Individuals create their own digital identity with a Blinking ID and then authenticate themselves using a variety of techniques including password, facial recognition, and fingerprint scanning. With the service, individuals can authorize or revoke access to third-parties each time they are required to verify their identity. Using IBM Cloud Private, Blinking is piloting a Know Your Customer (KYC) service with five Serbian banks.

Careesma.co, Croatia

Careesma has built a virtual assistant called Smarty that simplifies student-facing services at the Zagreb School of Economic and Management. The system can rapidly respond to questions from students on a 24/7 basis regardless of where they are located. Smarty is based on IBM Watson Assistant, a service on the IBM Cloud which uses machine learning to help organizations build solutions that understand natural-language and respond to customers in a way that simulates a conversation between humans.

HeartBit, Hungary

HeartBit teamed up with IBM to build the back-end for its pioneering wearable ECG device. The system captures data from the Heartbit device, transmits it to the IBM Cloud via a mobile app, where it is stored and analyzed using the latest AI technologies. With insight from the Heartbit app, users can optimize their training schedules and get fit safely. The company selected IBM Cloud services due to the high levels of security of the IBM Cloud as well as IBM's leadership in data privacy.

Indivizo, Hungary

Indivizo offers data-driven recruitment solutions to help HR decision makers hire top talent faster. The company has incorporated IBM's Watson AI technology on the IBM Cloud to analyze video interviews with job applicants. Using advanced video analytics, Inivizo can create personality profiles that provide HR with additional insight about a candidate's suitability for a given position.

Elaphe Propulsion Technologies, Slovenia

Elaphe selected IBM Cloud to access IBM's Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to help advance the safety of next-generation autonomous and connected electric and hybrid vehicles. With the IBM cloud, Elaphe can analyze real-time information about driving conditions and vehicle performance to generate valuable insight that can aid the development and operation of vehicles using the company's in-wheel powertrain systems.