INTERNET OF THINGS

Technology trends don’t come more dazzling or daunting than the Internet of Things. In simple terms, it involves virtually every object around you, whether an alarm clock or a mid-sized family sedan, being hooked up to the Internet via sensors. This endless array of “things” can then communicate with one another with little or no human input.

The applications for this are almost limitless. Some are mundane, like your fridge informing your smartphone when you’ve run out of eggs. Others could be life saving, like your pacemaker independently relaying details of a dangerous fault to your cardiologist before you even sense there’s a problem.

According to Cisco, the number of objects connected to the Internet exceeded the number of people on Earth in 2008, and this number is expected to grow exponentially to 50 billion by 2020. While Gartner predicts the Internet of things will generate $1.9 trillion in global economic value-add through sales into diverse end markets.

An infrastructure capable of supporting the Internet of Things is already being built. The latest Internet communications protocol IPv6 is already being implemented to accommodate for the large amount of storage space required for the unique identification numbers of objects. In June, HP revealed that it is working on a new computing system, dubbed The Machine, capable of managing 160 petabytes of data in 250 nanoseconds, which will come in handy in coping with the massive amount of data from the Internet of Things.

The technology used to connect everything to the Internet, be it RFID, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or NFC, will not just allow objects to communicate with humans, but with each other as well. Imagine a scenario in which traffic information, train schedules, and work data all communicate with your alarm clock, coffee maker, and car engine to start your day exactly on time, all while you’re asleep.

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CHEAT SHEET

he Jordan chapter of the Google-backed Startup Grind program,

which aims to create communities of entrepreneurs beyond tech hubs like Silicon Valley, has attracted a healthy deal of interest since its April launch.The Jordan chapter has so far hosted two speaker events, where some of the Kingdom’s savviest entrepreneurs were on hand to offer help and advice for aspiring startups. The first event featured Ahmed Alkhatib, founder and CEO of MarkaVIP, while the second featured Wael Attili, founder of Kharabeesh, the fastest growing Youtube network for Arabic content in the world. The events also included an opportunity for selected startups to set up booths and pitch their ideas to attendees, as well as the opportunity to network before a Q&A style presentation where attendees learned from the speakers’ experiences.Chapter founder Robert Carroll, who works for business accelerator Oasis 500, established Startup Grind in Jordan because he was inspired by the startup community in the Middle East. “I think startups are doing really good things for the region and are having a really positive impact,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent in Jordan and especially in Amman. What we’re trying to do is engage that talent and help people do the startup grind.” So far the idea has been received well by the startup community, with between 60 and 90 people attending each of the first two events. But through social media, especially the live Twitter feed, it’s estimated that the events reached up to 300,000 people, as measured by Startup Grind’s social media expert. Carroll observed that a lot of great connections have already been made through the events and hopes that this will continue in the future. “I’d love to see a startup or partnership come out of Startup Grind,” he said. “I think it happens all the time throughout the world in different chapters, and I think it could happen here.” –JH

ENTREPRENEURS

STARTUP GRIND COMES TO AMMAN

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30 | VENTURE MAGAZINE | JULY 2014