Qualcomm enriches technology ecosystems around the world
Qualcomm enriches technology ecosystems around the world
Qualcomm goes beyond being the world’s leading mobile technology innovator — we invest in enabling the entire technology ecosystem. As trusted advisors in 5G, mobile compute and edge AI, we support startups at every stage of their lifecycle, collaborate with universities, and deliver tens of thousands of hours of technical and IP training to help inventors and global tech ecosystems thrive.
Explore by region
Qualcomm began as a startup — and today, we help others scale. Through regional innovation challenges and mentorship programs across the globe, we support early-stage and deep-technology startups with engineering guidance, business coaching, and IP training. Our programs help startups shape their technology roadmaps, access local and global markets, and learn to protect their innovations through patenting.
Innovation (startup) incubation programs
As a trusted advisor in wireless, compute and AI technologies, Qualcomm supports startups around the world at multiple stages of their lifecycles. From engineering collaborations to offering tens of thousands of hours of technical and IP rights training programs, and teaching innovators to protect their inventions through patents, we are helping the broader innovation ecosystems flourish.
Startup directory
Since 2016, our incubation and mentorship programs have supported hundreds of startups across multiple industry sectors. Explore our startup directory to discover these ventures — sortable by region, technology, industry and more.
Ecosystem training programs
Whether you're an inventor, researcher, or startup founder, our curated training resources help you grow. Learn from Qualcomm Technologies’ engineers and industry experts through courses on 5G, edge AI, IoT, device design, IP law, and entrepreneurship — all designed to strengthen your technical and business capabilities.
Innovation tools: Engineering platforms and regional labs
Our engineers are world leaders in their fields. Qualcomm Technologies supports dedicated facilities that allow startups and licensees to test, experiment, and troubleshoot their products and solutions — driving better outcomes for performance, product differentiation, time-to-market, patenting (startups), and international market entry.
Engineering platforms
From building an IoT solution on a Qualcomm Dragonwing™ product to deploying AI workflows on PCs with Snapdragon® X Elite processors, designing immersive XR experiences on a Snapdragon® XR product, or optimizing inference on Qualcomm® Cloud processors — startups can rely on Qualcomm Technologies’ robust, proven, and ready-to-use hardware and software platforms. Our extensive developer catalog accelerates the journey from prototype to product. Backed by world-class engineering expertise, these tools support rapid iteration, product differentiation, and faster time-to-market.
AI use cases
Startups working on traditional AI applications — such as computer vision, voice recognition, or speech translation — as well as generative AI use cases like LLM-based tools or agentic workflows will find comprehensive support here. Explore documented use cases and software across a range of startup platforms and OS combinations in our curated resources.
Regional labs
To further enable innovation, we’ve established regional engineering labs in India, Taiwan and Vietnam that provide startups and licensees with hands-on access to hardware, SDKs, and expert guidance — empowering teams to test, troubleshoot, and refine their solutions for global readiness.
Global impact in action. Latest updates, news, and innovation milestones.
Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge (QVIC) 2025 Finale
August 2025
First launched in 2019, QVIC aims to encourage the development of the emerging technology ecosystem in Vietnam with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The program facilitates the development of Vietnam’s emerging technology ecosystem by identifying and nurturing innovative small- and medium-sized companies who are designing products in technology areas like 5G, IoT, robotics and drones, AI, smart cities, wearable devices, and multimedia technologies.
Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators 2025 – LatAm
July 2025
The Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators (QAIPI) empowers professional developers and startups to design and implement cutting-edge on-device AI solutions across diverse sectors, including consumer, healthcare, smart industry, smart city, agriculture and education, driving regional and societal impact.
Design in Saudi Arabia with AI (DISAI)
February 2025
Qualcomm, Aramco, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA) launched the Design in Saudi Arabia with AI (DISAI) program. This initiative is designed to support early-stage startups focusing on AI, IoT, and wireless technologies for industrial applications, driving innovation and digital transformation in the Kingdom and the broader region.
Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators (QAIPI)
Qualcomm launched this new initiative aimed at supporting professional developers and startups from Japan, Singapore, and South Korea to create cutting-edge on-device AI solutions across diverse sectors
Enabling the deep-tech and innovation ecosystems in Vietnam, Taiwan and Africa
February 2024
Our Ecosystem Enablement blog series, where we highlight key activities Qualcomm is driving around the world to help broader technology ecosystems flourish and the impact our programs are having in different global regions.
The Inventor’s Patent Academy (TIPA)
July 2023
Qualcomm launched this online learning platform in July 2022 aimed at guiding inventors from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds through the complexities and benefits of the US patent system. Created by patent-holding inventors, patent-law specialists and experts in social and economic equity, inclusion and diversity, the multimedia TIPA course is written from an inventor's perspective to make patenting more accessible to all.
L2Pro Africa
December 2023
Qualcomm, in collaboration with Adams and Adams, Africa’s leading intellectual property (IP) law firm, launched L2Pro Africa IP e-learning Platform, a free online training program designed to empower startups, SMEs, and researchers in Africa to protect, secure, and maximize their innovations.
Qualcomm Make in Africa (QMIA)
December 2023
The Qualcomm Make in Africa startup mentorship program (launched in December 2022) is the first initiative of its kind in Africa. This equity-free mentorship program identifies promising early-stage African startups keen on applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies to deliver new innovations for the continent, with a focus on engineering mentorship, business coaching, and guidance on protecting intellectual property.
Qualcomm Innovate in Taiwan Challenge (QITC) 2023 Finale
December 2023
Qualcomm held the Demo Day and finals award ceremony for the 2023 Qualcomm Innovate in Taiwan Challenge (QITC). The top three teams of this year's competition all proposed solutions related to AI or wearable devices, an indicator that these technological trends indeed have promising growth potential.
Other programs for universities, startups, and developers
University Relations
Qualcomm Wireless Reach
Qualcomm Ventures
Developer First Initiative
STEM Education Initiatives
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