In a month, over 200 tech startups will compete for the €125K investment award at the Startup Spotlight that will happen during one of the leading annual technology and innovation conferences in Europe – How to Web 2019, the organizers announced.
The conference that will take place on 30-31 of October in Bucharest, Romania will gather the best tech startups from Romania and Central East Europe to compete for a prizes of one million euros total. Reportedly, for the very first time this year, a number of business angels from the TechAngels network and venture capital funds (such as GapMinder Venture Partners and RocaX) are teaming up to invest together in “Best Startup “, offering the highest prize in a startup competition – the one from €125K that will go for the startup that will present the best pitch during the Startup spotlight competition.
According to the organizers, out of 200 applications, 20 will be selected for the pitching session, out of which three will win the “Best Startup”, “Best Pitch” and “Best Innovation” awards.
The winners, not only that will have access to one million euros fund, but will also win a chance to compete at the Startup Battlefield, one of the greatest competition for startups in Europe that is happening during the well-known TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin conference scheduled for the second week of December.
As announced by the organizers, all interested startup can apply until 10th of October. The participation is free and is open to all interested early-stage startups from Romania and Central and Eastern Europe.
Once those 20 startups are selected, they will meet with potential investors and will have media exposure. Mentors involved in Startup Spotlight are top entrepreneurs and business people, including Enis Hulli (Partner 500startups), Jag Singh (Managing Director at Techstars Berlin), April Dunford (Positioning Expert & CEO at Ambient Strategy), Dave Hogue (UX Design Lead at Google) and Andrei Pitiș (VP Product and Head of European Development Centers at Fitbit).
Also, the competitors will have meetings with investors such as Carmen Sebe (Partner at Gecad Ventures), Cristian Munteanu (Partner Early Game Ventures), Ondrej Bartos (Partner Credo Ventures), but also with representatives of the most active corporate accelerators in Romania such as KPMG Startup Grow Pad, Orange Fab, BCR-InnovX or Tech’n Trade by METRO SYSTEMS.
TypingDNA, Scooterson, TalentBrowse, Omniconvert are just few of the former winners at this competition.
Who are the Startup Spotlight investors?
TechAngels Romania is the business angels network that invests in tech startups in the region and facilitates their access to investors and the expertise they need.
GapMinder is an investment fund that has 40 million euros. GapMinder invests in both startups in MVP and Acceleration stages, as well as Seed or Series A series, in companies with initial traction or even hyper-growth earnings.
RocaX is one of the newest investment funds in Romania. The fund team aims to support start-ups both through financing and know-how, as well as through opportunities for market validation of these initiatives.
How to Web was launched in 2010 and quickly became one of the most important technology events in Central and Eastern Europe. Starting in 2018, the conference is under the umbrella of ANIS – the Employers Association of the Software and Services Industry.
This year technology startups will be able to compete in two different programs: Startup Spotlight (in partnership with KPMG) and UiPath Automation First CEE Awards.
For all interested that want to be part of this important event, tickets are available online here.
