Alaian, Qualcomm seek to support XR startups

Alaian, the alliance of eight of the world’s leading telcos (Bouygues Telecom, Cellnex, KPN, MTN, NOS, STC, Telefónica and Wind Tre), in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., one of the world’s leading provider of processors for mobile devices, is launching a global call for innovative startups in the field of Extended Reality (XR).

In the current context, where Extended Reality – encompassing virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality – is transforming multiple industries and revolutionising the way people interact with the digital and physical world, Alaian and Qualcomm Technologies have decided to join synergies to identify startups with the most disruptive solutions.

For this reason, they are looking for startups with use cases in metaverse, video games, edutainment, industry and manufacturing, logistics, retail, digital social experiences, connectivity, networking, devices, virtual platforms, as well as other applications or services. Also considered are connectivity tools and software to enhance the deployment of XR product and service use cases; XR mass entertainment in the home; and XR sustainability tools for large enterprises.

The startups selected by Alaian and Qualcomm Technologies will have access to the resources available of the telecoms, such as knowledge of the markets in which they are located, their network of contacts, connectiviy and infrastructure, potential capital investment from any of Alaian’s Members investment vehicles as well as exposure to our global network of VCs, training for entrepreneurs and access to business development initiatives by the telecoms.

Qualcomm Technologies will also offer them a number of exclusive benefits, including acess to Snapdragon Spaces Developer Platform and development kits, which will enable startups to create and optimize next-generation extended reality experiences. In addition, dedicated engineering support will be provided to help companies overcome technical challenges and maximize the potential of their projects, as well as priority access to the Snapdragon Spaces Pathfinder program, which offers a network of resources and strategic opportunities to accelerate startup growth.

Daniel Hernández, VP Devices & Consumer IoT of Telefónica, said: “This joint call offers an exceptional opportunity for startups that want to accelerate their growth and benefit from the backing of eight major companies in the telecommunications sector. We are excited to discover new talent and promote the development of disruptive solutions in the field of Extended Reality.”

Douglas Vaz Benitez, Senior Director, Business Development, Qualcomm Europe, Inc. said “We are delighted to be partnering with Alaian on this exciting new project. We have Extended Reality (XR) Research & Development centers in Europe and our main objective is to enable startups to succeed by creating immersive applications in a faster, easier, and more profitable way. XR will become a central part of the world we’ll live in, in the coming years and Qualcomm’s XR Solutions, with special emphasis on Snapdragon Spaces, are available to anyone who wants to be part of this new technology transition. We are very excited for the opportunities we have ahead of us!”