Créme de la créme of European startups are heading to Prague in April to clash for the European Champ title
On April 10, 2019, at the Prague Congress Centre, the first ever European Continental Finals of the global competition Startup World Cup 2019 will be held as a part of the Startup World Cup & Summit (SWCSummit). The winner is about to win $ 500,000 USD investment prize and the title of the European Startup Champion. They will also gain entry to the global Grand Finale, which is to be held in Silicon Valley in May. Apart from the competition, the event will welcome keynote speakers from all over the world, including Apple’s first CMO, John Rizzo, the ex-VP of Instagram and CEO of Strava, James Quarles, the bestselling author and founder of Electronic Arts, Dave Evans, Avast CEO, Vince Steckler, and the billionaire Karel Janeček. Along with them the organisers expect dozens of angel investors, founders, and innovators from all around Europe. They will all be ready to network, provide guidance to fresh entrepreneurs, and look for new business opportunities.
Hundreds of up-and-coming startups are confirmed to attend SWCSummit, one of the most important events in the startup world in the Central Europe region this year. The goal is to find the European champion, create a talent network, draw the public’s attention to small businesses’ added value, and, most importantly, boost the European startup scene’s confidence. “Europe used to be an unshakeable cradle of innovation. Nowadays, despite Europe’s huge potential to retain its position, we feel momentum is shifting away. With this in mind, we see SWCSummit as an opportunity to spark new connections, investments, and ideas that can help Europe reclaim its reputation of the global innovation epicenter,” says Vít Šubert, the startup incubator UP21 CEO and the event’s co-founder.
“There’s an opportunity for everyone at SWCSummit – not only startups vying for the title and $ 500,000 USD investment prize. The event will be divided into special zones dedicated to startups, innovators from the corporate world, investors, and the general public. All attendees will be brought together through Myia, a networking and matchmaking smartphone app,” explains Václav Pavlečka, the CEO of Air Ventures and the second co-founder of the event.
The startup event of the year
For the first time, Prague is going to witness the best startup projects in Europe, the winners of 13 regional finals of the Startup World Cup. The finalists will compete to win $ 500,000 USD investment prize, the title of the European Startup Champion, and participation at the global finals held in San Francisco. Europe is the first continent to hold its own finals of this startup competition.
In the scope of SWCSummit, the regional finals of Visegrád Group takes place. 265 confirmed startups will compete to become the winning startup of the V4 Regional Finals, who will gain entry to European Continental Finals as well as entry to the global grand finale taking place in Silicon Valley in May.
Learn more about the Startup World Cup & Summit
The Startup World Cup & Summit (SWCSummit) is a unique marriage between the two most significant startup summits to emerge over the last few years. The Startup World Cup is a global startup summit and competition organized by the Silicon Valley venture capital fund Fenox. It was created to support innovations worldwide, interconnect subjects within the startup ecosystem, open doors for talented entrepreneurs, and identify 20 of the best startup projects on the market today. Regional winners will compete at the grand finale in Silicon Valley for $1 million and other cool prizes. SWCSummit is organized by the investment fund Air Ventures and the startup incubator UP21. Dating back to 2012, the summit has attracted speakers from leading global corporations and startups, including TechCrunch editors, Startupbootcamp chiefs, Silicon Valley investors and representatives from companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Hyperloop Transport Technologies and Kiwi.com. The summit has also headlined corporate leaders like Andre Wehner from Škoda Auto and Tomáš Budník from O2. Learn more at www.swcsummit.com.
UP21 is an incubator and investor, providing startups with four crucial elements to help them succeed — financial support, specialized mentoring, personal development, and key industry skills. For each startup, UP21 creates a personalized navigation plan and leads innovators on their path to success in the spirit of its motto: “Investment is not enough. Ask for a great co-pilot.” Learn more at www.UP21.com.
Air Ventures supports rising tech startups. The fund invests in dynamic technology companies with the focus mostly on the Central European region, brings unique know-how to marketing strategy-building, and allows startups to reach audiences and attract customers efficiently. Learn more at www.airvcs.com
DeepTech4Good: Start-ups Coming to the Fore
It’s all in a name. Deep tech start-up is the new term for a start-up founded on the basis of a breakthrough technology or science. The start-up’s product or service often revolves around a disruptive innovation. The development cycles they are involved in are often longer and more capital-intensive than with the products found in other sectors of industry. The European Union has spotted this and is now funding a European accelerator programme called DeepTech4Good. The initiative is part of Horizon 2020, the European Union Research Framework Programme, and the aim is to help start-ups raise their market profile and become a driving force in the Internet of Things (IoT) market. Five European start-up events will be organized under the programme, each resulting in the selection of eight start-ups to receive coaching on growing their business from the project partners of DeepTech4Good. The first finalists have already been chosen at the first two events called DeepTech4Good#Paris and DeepTech4Good#Stuttgart. DeepTech4Good#Stuttgart was organized by the project partners, S2i and Photonics BW.
DeepTech4Good is being coordinated by Cluster Systematic. Under the initiative, eight partners from Germany, France, Austria, and Spain will receive approximately €1.5 million from the EU and will be charged with acting as official EU ambassadors for the Startup Europe initiative. Based on a vision that deep tech is good for society, the program focuses closely on four IoT sectors: Smart Cities, Smart Mobility (modern travel solutions), Industry 4.0, and Health & Well-being. In total, 200 high-potential start-ups from four European hubs will be helped to forge networks with relevant stakeholders with the aim of initiating innovation projects. This should make it easier for them to access funding and gain further support in raising their profile. One of the overarching aims of the programme is to network and connect up hubs within Europe.
Eight start-ups receive awards at the pitch in Stuttgart
The DeepTech4Good#Stuttgart event in late 2018 was an opportunity for 23 young European enterprises to make a 5-minute pitch and inspire investors with their ideas. Eight winners were chosen after winning over the jury: Adlatus Robotics, AScon Systems, HD Vision Systems, INERATEC, skinmade, and vialytics (all from Germany), Mobility Work from France, and EET from Austria. The winners are now eligible to receive personal coaching and may progress to the accelerator programme. Gaining access to a Europe-wide network and receiving input from experts will help the start-ups scale up their business and provide welcome support with innovation initiatives – ideal prerequisites for evolving into future deep tech unicorns in Europe.
The role of Baden-Wuerttemberg as a start-up hub
“Deep tech start-ups will increase in significance for Baden-Wuerttemberg in the coming years. It’s particularly important to recognize and promote the scale-up potential. Events like DeepTech4Good#Stuttgart make a crucial contribution in this respect. With powerful sponsors like bwcon, Start-up BW, Agorize, VentureZphere, the Stuttgart stock exchange, and the StartupEurope initiative organized by the European Commission, the event provides an ideal network and it’s sponsors like these that will secure Baden-Wuerttemberg’s position as a future hub for start-ups,” says Dr. Petra Püchner, Commissioner for Europe of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour, and Housing Baden-Wuerttemberg, summarizing the exceptional importance of the event. “This support already starts on the doorstep at our events. For example, the start-ups receive specific training on the best way to sell themselves and different ways to network and embark on a collaboration with partners from industry,” adds Samantha Michaux, who as a project manager and Startup Europe Ambassador at S2i is responsible for supervising the project.
The next DeepTech4Good Business Event will take place in Graz in Austria on March 26, 2019.
Contact: Samantha Michaux, [email protected]
www.deeptechforgood.eu | www.facebook.com/DeepTech4Good/ | https://twitter.com/DeepTech4Good | www.linkedin.com/in/deeptech-4good-126140158/ |
MY-GATEWAY EMBRACES THE NEW YEAR WITH A GOLDEN TICKET TO STARTUP OLÉ.
What did you write in your New Year’s resolutions list?
Did you wish for happiness, travelling to a Western European country, attending startup events, meeting new investors..? If this is the case, I’m thrilled to announce that Startup Olé is looking for 15 CEE startups to join the event! Yes, you read it well: 15 startups!
MY-GATEWAY will help detect those Central and Eastern European startups that will benefit the most from attending the Spanish event, making sure startups are well aware of the opportunities they can be catered for. The target of our contest are startups based either in Romania, Czech Republic and Slovenia.
Those startups will need to really convince and tell us why they think Startup Olé can help them out boost their business growth, and, of course, send us a pitch deck. Attending Startup Olé can be a truly enriching experience… as you long as you prepare well for it! By using the Startup Olé app, you can gain access to investors, corporates, mentors and set up meetings with our fellow attendees.
To make sure you stand out as you deserve, you’ll be provided with a whole stand to show your product and sell it to your target, so do come prepared with merchandising and flyers that can help you achieve your objectives! And…did I already say that travel and accommodation costs are included for one representative of your team? We really don’t want the distance, and its costs, to be a problem. That’s why travel and subsistence expenses are entirely covered by us.
Last but not least, some of the startups which will go through our selection process will also gain the possibility to join the PITCHING competition.
What do YOU need to do?
In order to be eligible for this contest you’ll have to do the following:
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send your pitch deck to
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in the body of the email, tell us:
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why you’d like us to attend,
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what your expectations are,
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your vertical,
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contact details of the person who would be attending the event (name, surname, email, telephone);
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and also:
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on social media, share/retweet a message in which you saw the open call promoted (in your email, we’d like to see the link to your publication or a screenshot)
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and follow and/or like MY-GATEWAY social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram)
Deadline for applications: 4th of February 2019
What is Startup Olé?
Startup Olé 2019 will take place in Salamanca (Spain) from 26-29 of March and it will gather +30.000 attendees from 120 countries; +850 startups, scaleups and spin-offs; +500 speakers; +250 corporates and investors with an investment portfolio of over €50k M. Our fifth edition will be the biggest so far and we are working hard to make this an event that you will never forget, so do not wait any longer and join the family!
What is MY-GATEWAY?
MY-GATEWAY is an initiative of Startup Europe that aims to strengthen the capacities of high-tech start-ups and innovative SMEs in the CEE region to become better connected, gain higher market exposure, and have improved, streamlined access to funding opportunities and talents.
Secure Your Place at The Startup Europe Summit 2018
The fourth edition of the Startup Europe Summit takes place on 15 November, in Sofia, with 400 key actors from the European startup “ecosystem”. The event will bring together some of the best European startups with investors, media and policy makers. Aside of interesting speakers, who will be analysing key technological and policy trends for European startups, the event provides a great opportunity to mingle with people building the European startup ecosystems, identify new funding opportunities and get a feel of what is happening in the startup world, notably from Central Eastern Europe and Western Balkans regions.
Keynote speakers this year include Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, Simon Schaefer, Founder & CEO of Factory, President of Startup Portugal and Angel Investor in Europe and Anja Monrad, Senior Vice President & General Manager at Dell EMC and chair of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Governing Board. The meeting will also be attended by Boyko Borissov(tbc), Prime Minister of Bulgaria, as well as Yordanka Fandakova (tbc), Mayor of Sofia. You can consult the programme here.
This year’s Startup Europe Summit will be linked to the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans, launched earlier this year by the European Commission. The aim of this initiative is to support the transition of the region and bring the benefits of the digital transformation to its citizens, by helping modernise public administrations, strengthen cybersecurity, increase connectivity, and improve the business climate.
The region has major assets with its large pool of talented people with strong ICT skills, dynamically growing start-up community and its rapidly improving infrastructure, connectivity and proximity to large markets. The digital transformation is also crucial for the growth of this Region – it can help transform local economies and societies while creating high-quality jobs.
The conference would also be an opportunity to be briefed by experts from the European Commission on the progress in establishing a Digital Single Market policies and what we are doing to support the growth of startups and young innovative companies and to help to SMEs to help take advantage of the digital transformation.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 11 LUCKY WINNERS!
Congratulations to: Spendee from Czech Republic, GewdTime from Slovenia, bFertile from Slovenia, SettleMint from Belgium, Smart Optometry from Slovenia, Axensor from Belgium, FeliCity LTD from Hungary, CargoPlanning from Romania, Silent Call from Czech Republic and FINQware from Romania, Finbot platform from Denmark!
MY-GATEWAY cannot wait to formally meet all of these amazing startups and help them grow through Web Summit and beyond. MY-GATEWAY was astounded by the variety and creativity of the many applications submitted to the ticket giveaway. In the end, we believe we have a great group of entrepreneurs and innovators we believe will be the future of disrupting the startup industry. Stay tuned to keep up with our road to Web Summit!
What is Web Summit?
Web Summit is the largest tech conference in the world and is always a complete success. Like every year, we expect to gather in Lisbon over 70.000 attendees, 1.200 speakers and 170 countries for 3 full days of networking and business. Web Summit also gathers the entire investor ecosystem, from big fishes to the most relevant angels and venture investors, as well as over 2,500 international media outlets. Here, startups have lots of opportunities to gain exposure, such us networking, presenting their business and participating in panels, among others. MGW just cover the entry ticket, not the travel cost or any financial support.
Latitude59 2018
Latitude59 is the flagship startup & tech event of e-Estonia – the world’s first digital society.
At Latitude 59, we bring together the Baltic, CEE & Nordic tech ecosystem and provide a platform for entrepreneurs, investors and leaders to learn, connect and network. We believe that entrepreneurial minds, inspiring leadership, lean companies and pro-active governments are the way forward in creating the digital future.
Why Latitude59?
Come explore different startup themes, network with like-minded people, join our investor-startup matchmaking, exchange futuristic ideas and more in the awesome venue of a century-old power plant that’s been transformed into a creative hub.
In 2017, we welcomed more than 2000 participants including:
- 200 investors spanning from US to Japan who took part in our investor-startup matchmaking
- 150 startups – mostly from the neighbouring Baltic, Nordic & CEE countries
- Attendees from over 20 countries
Why Estonia?
- Most startups per capita in Europe.
- The only functional digital society in the world.
- World’s first e-Residency program offering a transnational secure digital identity enabling you to run a location independent business online from anywhere in the world.
- Estonia warmly welcomes startup founders from around the world to come and be a part of one of the smallest but liveliest startup communities in Europe. Find out more about the Estonia Startup Visa.
ACCESS2EUROPE INFORM EVENT BERLIN @ CUBE TECH FAIR
As part of the Access2Europe project, an inform event will be held at CUBE Tech Fair 2018 to showcase the EU’s initiative towards cross border development notably for our project between Spain, France, Estonia and Germany. To bring value to the international startups who wish to develop their activities in Germany, we will organise various panels composed of experts to better present Germany’s specificities as well as the European startup ecosystems. A networking session is also scheduled on 15th may with Soft Landing and Startup Lighthouse projects staff. We hope to see you there!
http://cube-global.com/access2europe-inform-event/
https://access2europe.org/cube-tech-fair/
https://peninsula-co.typeform.com/to/aW3blZ?utm_medium=email&utm_source=peninsula&source=a2e
STARTUP EUROPE: LEADING PARTNER FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND THEIR ECOSYSTEMS
STARTUP EUROPE CAMPFIRE PARIS:
Paris CAMPFIRE will be the first of a series of events piloted by the Startup Europe initiative of European Commission Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology through consortium leaders, to highlight the opportunities and network the community partners.
Thus the Campfire will be advertised throughout Europe – by setting the first one in Paris, DG Connect and Startup Europe initiative is encouraging Paris area and France for the leading role these ecosystems are taking in the support of start-ups & their ecosystems, and the shift France makes to become a startup nation.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CAMPFIRE OPENING EVENT:
The event gathers several objectives among which:
- Promote Entrepreneurship culture – The European Startup Continent
- Promote the Startup Europe Initiative and tools @overall European level
- Reinforce links between Startup Europe Initiative and national/local initiatives
- Promote opportunities for startups and ecosystems to participate in the 10 running and financed programs
- Discuss potential areas for further implications for next calls
- Showcase Paris Area as a leading hub for start-ups and build bridges with the CEE and Balkans
- Better connect French Tech & Paris Ecosystem players to Startup Europe
PARTICIPANTS AND COVERAGE:
Expected participants: 200 +
- Entrepreneurs and perspective entrepreneurs
- Venture Capital Organization
- Incubators, accelerators, clusters
- Innovation funding organization
- Government representatives
Coverage: National and European media
PROGRAMME:
- Introduction words
- Session 1: Initiative for Entrepreneurs
- Session 2: Presentation of the 10 ongoing StartUp Europe Projects
- Session 3: Supporting Startup Culture
- Session 4: Startup Founders Entering into International Markets
- Session 5: Connecting Balkan and Central East Europe with leading EU hubs
- Session 6: Lead fields for tomorrow
Event in partnership with Startup Europe and the Île-de-France Region
Startup Europe: leading partner for Entrepreneurs and their ecosystems
STARTUP EUROPE CAMPFIRE PARIS
Paris CAMPFIRE will be the first of a series of events piloted by the Startup Europe initiative of European Commission Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology through consortium leaders, to highlight the opportunities and network the community partners.
Thus the Campfire will be advertised throughout Europe – by setting the first one in Paris, DG Connect and Startup Europe initiative is encouraging Paris area and France for the leading role these ecosystems are taking in the support of start-ups & their ecosystems, and the shift France makes to become a startup nation.
OBJECTIVES OF THE CAMPFIRE OPENING EVENT:
The event gathers several objectives among which:
- Promote Entrepreneurship culture – The European Startup Continent
- Promote the Startup Europe Initiative and tools @overall European level
- Reinforce links between Startup Europe Initiative and national/local initiatives
- Promote opportunities for startups and ecosystems to participate in the 10 running and financed programs
- Discuss potential areas for further implications for next calls
- Showcase Paris Area as a leading hub for start-ups and build bridges with the CEE and Balkans
- Better connect French Tech & Paris Ecosystem players to Startup Europe
PARTICIPANTS AND COVERAGE:
Expected participants: 200 +
- Entrepreneurs and perspective entrepreneurs
- Venture Capital Organization
- Incubators, accelerators, clusters
- Innovation funding organization
- Government representatives
Coverage: National and European media
PROGRAMME:
- Introduction words
- Session 1: Initiative for Entrepreneurs
- Session 2: Presentation of the 10 ongoing StartUp Europe Projects
- Session 3: Supporting Startup Culture
- Session 4: Startup Founders Entering into International Markets
- Session 5: Connecting Balkan and Central East Europe with leading EU hubs
- Session 6: Lead fields for tomorrow
Event in partnership with Startup Europe and the Île-de-France Region
SCIENCE4LIFE VENTURE CUP: EINSENDESCHLUSS KONZEPTPHASE
Life Sciences, Chemistry and Energy – these are the industries to which the competition „Science4Life Venture Cup“ is looking at! If you are a young founder or your startup is working in these fields, apply until January 12th 2018 and win up to 1.000€.
More info here: https://www.science4life.de/wettbewerb/
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Life Sciences, Chemie und Energie – Der branchenspezifische Businessplan-Wettbewerb „Science4Life Venture Cup“ richtet sich nach technologieorientiere junge Gründer und Start-ups.
Schritt für Schritt zum Businessplan – Der Science4Life Venture Cup unterteilt sich in drei Phasen: Der Ideenphase, der Konzeptphase und der Businessplanphase. Der Wettbewerbseinstieg ist in jeder Phase möglich. Das Besondere: Nach jeder Einreichung erhält der Teilnehmer ein ausführliches, schriftliches Feedback von den Science4Life Branchenexperten.
In der Konzeptphase soll die Geschäftsidee formuliert werden: 6-10 Seiten sind dabei völlig ausreichend. Ziel ist es, eine überzeugende Zusammenfassung, die Executive Summary, einzureichen. Folgende Themen sollte sie beinhalten: Die Geschäftsidee, das Unternehmerteam sowie die Marktanalyse.
Einsendeschluss ist der 12. Januar 2018. Für die Gewinner der Konzeptphasen winkt eine Geldprämie von jeweils 1000 Euro. Es werden je zehn Teilnehmer für den Venture Cup und zusätzlich zwei für den Spezialpreis im Bereich Energie ausgezeichnet