The TONOMUS Venture Studio is the venture building and venture investing engine of TONOMUS. The TONOMUS Venture Studio builds ventures that focus on the cognitive ecosystem, including connectivity, computing capability and AI, as well as the fundamental infrastructure that will support it all using Silicon Valley–influenced methodology and guidance. It will also build global talent capability and launch a new generation of entrepreneurs.

The TONOMUS Venture Studio launches periodic competitions to identify relevant startups and technologies that may be a fit for the cognitive ecosystem, while engaging and educating the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. These competitions may revolve around different themes, which are announced at the start of each program. These competitions represent one way in which to engage the TONOMUS Venture Studio. Please see the events site for additional programming from the TONOMUS Venture Studio.

All applications are evaluated on a rolling basis until the submission deadline. A panel will assess the applications based on the criteria outlined on the website. After submission, the evaluation team may request additional clarification or information on your idea or application. You will receive a notification through the submission platform with instructions on responding if this is the case.

Following evaluation, a group of Semi-finalist teams will be selected to pitch their ideas to a group of experienced startup investors. The Semi-finalist teams will also be eligible for mentoring and virtual coaching sessions to refine their idea in preparation for the pitch.

A group of Finalist teams will be invited to the final pitch showcase. All Finalists will be subject to due diligence, and you may be required to provide us with additional information to assist with this. After the final pitch, it is expected that at least one winning team will be announced to participate in the Venture Studio program.

If you are selected as a Semi-finalist, your team will have the opportunity to receive mentoring and/or virtual coaching sessions to refine your presentation ahead of the final pitch day. This mentoring and coaching will help you further develop your venture idea and refine your pitch.

All Semi-finalists will also receive invites to speaker panels and other optional events or sessions on entrepreneurial topics. Specific details and further instructions will be provided if you are selected as a Semi-finalist.

If your team is selected as a winner of the Venture Competition, you will receive the opportunity to participate in the Venture Studio, a 12-16 week program designed to develop selected founders and their ideas with guidance, resources, and expertise from a set of experienced advisors.

Our goal is to prepare ventures completing the Venture Studio program to become healthy, scalable businesses capable of raising seed financing. To do this, during the Venture Studio program, participants will have access to startup experts, mentors, and advisors to assist with customer development, concept refinement, and business model and operating plan guidance. After the program, teams will be prepared to pitch for seed funding from outside investors.

Acceptance into the unique and intensive Venture Studio program is the key outcome and prize of the competition.

Participants will have access to startup experts, mentors, advisors, and a proven venture-building program to help them build their venture from the customer's point of view.

There are no criteria regarding team size for the Venture Studio program. Still, we typically expect that participants will have up to five team members, each with a critical skill or expertise to contribute to the development of the idea (e.g., go-to-market, engineering, business/finance, product, etc.). Initially, every team member will contribute to the foundation of customer development for the envisioned venture.

We appreciate that your intellectual property is important to you. If you are selected to participate in the Venture Studio program, then you will be asked to confirm the ownership and treatment of intellectual property rights as part of the additional documentation that must be completed in order to participate in the Venture Studio program. Participation in the competition and the Venture Studio program will not operate to transfer any intellectual property rights from you to us or to transfer any intellectual property rights from us to you for the duration of the competition and the Venture Studio program.

Yes. If your idea is selected for the Venture Studio program, we can work with you to help recruit additional team members to develop the idea.

Currently, the Venture Studio is designed to help participant teams build sound milestone-based business and operating plans based upon solid design-centered customer development and digital concept exploration. After completing the Venture Studio program, participants will be prepared to pitch to outside investors for funding.