Apr 18, 2005This article was originally published by RFID Update.
April 18, 2005—VeriSign has launched the EPC Application Developers Contest to spur adoption and innovative uses of the EPCglobal Network. The contest's grand prize includes, among other things, $10,000 cash, the opportunity to use VeriSign's booth at this September's EPCglobal conference to demonstrate the application, and free access for a year to the VeriSign "Starter Service" that provides all the components necessary to use the EPCglobal network. Additionally, and perhaps most valuably, the winner will be given a chance to present the application to representatives from elite venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Beyers and Bessemer Venture Partners.
The winning application will be chosen based on "originality, applicability to a real business problem, effective use of the EPC Starter Services, and integration of the EPC Starter Services with entrants' proposed client application." The judges are a composite representation of supply chain, CPG, and investor interests:
- Aileen Lee, Principal Partner, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers
- Ann Grackin, Chief Executive Officer, ChainLink Research
- Bernie Hogan, Chief Technology Officer, Uniform Code Council
- Byron Deeter, Principal, Bessemer Venture Partners
- Lori Bigler, Manager, Business Technology Standards, The J.M. Smucker Company
Clearly the contest's draw is not the cash but rather the invaluable exposure to possible investors, valuable contacts, and the greater RFID and supply chain industry. You can bet that by this September, there will have been enormous progress made in areas of hardware and performance, and the spotlight will begin to shift away from GEN 2 and toward the new applications that harness the increasingly standardized nature of the industry. VeriSign's contest is a well-timed maneuver to stimulate interest and creativity in building on the promise of RFID: new capabilities and improved processes based on granular supply chain visibility.
More about the contest here
