In April 2014,Cisco announcedtheIoT Innovation Grand Challenge, a global, open competition aimed at recognizing, promoting and accelerating the adoption of breakthrough technologies that will contribute to the growth and evolution of the Internet of Things.  The response was overwhelming with fantastic submissions.

We received over 800 submissions from startups all over the world on a diverse set of topics -from agriculture to Wifi with ble, gps, m2m, rfid and many more things in between.   The top 5 submission categories were: Smart Cities with 166 entries, Healthcare with 123, Retail (98), Education (80) and Transportation (59).

Announcing the Nineteen Semi-Finalists!

After much deliberation, the Cisco judges and the IoT Challenge community have selected the following nineteen semi-finalists:

I want to take this opportunity to thank all our contestants, participants and community members for joining us in this exciting challenge.  We appreciate your time and participation.

Next Steps

The 19 semi-finalists will now complete a more complex assignment.  Once submitted, the judging panel will review the 19 assignments and select the final six finalists.  The six finalists will be invited to the 2014 Internet of Things World Forum, an exclusive annual event that will be held in Chicago, October 14-16.  The finalists will have an opportunity to demonstrate their innovations on the convention show floor and to pitch their ideas to the best and brightest thinkers, practitioners, and innovators in the industry.  Three final winners will be announced at the IoT World Forum on center stage and will share$250,000 US in prize money that can be used to jumpstart new and existing businesses contributing to the Internet of Things industry.

Good luck to the semifinalists! I am looking forward to sharing the names of 6 finalists in September.