What scaleup will be Europe’s next technological success story? EIT Digital, the European organisation for innovation and education with a branch on the High-Tech Campus Eindhoven, is looking for ambitious scaleups all over Europe. They will be able to compete for the title of Best European Scaleup at the fifth annual EIT Digital Challenge. The prize package, including international growth support for the top ten companies, amounts to a total of 750,000 euros. You can register until 14 June 2018.
“The EIT Digital Challenge is the international pitch competition for deep tech companies looking to break through internationally,” says an EIT spokesperson. Since the first EIT Digital Challenge in 2014, there have been 1,600 participants from 27 EU Member States. “Most of the winners have become internationally successful companies through the competition.”
In this competition, EIT Digital is looking for fast-growing startups within one of the five competition categories: Digital Industry, Digital Cities, Digital Wellbeing, Digital Infrastructure and Digital Finance. The two best companies in each category will receive one year of international growth support from the EIT Digital Accelerator. The winner in each category will receive a cash prize of 50,000 euros.
The EIT Digital Accelerator helps business developers and financial experts from thirteen European cities and a hub in Silicon Valley to tap into new markets and raise capital. Since 2012, the EIT Digital Accelerator has helped more than 270 startups to do this.
Both the Accelerator and the competition focus on deep tech companies. “The disruptive solutions that deep tech scaleups develop are critical for Europe’s future as they drive the digital transformation”, said Chahab Nastar, Chief Innovation Officer of EIT Digital. “Although VC investments in deep tech companies are growing rapidly, these companies face considerable challenges.” Nastar wants to use the Accelerator to help solve these problems.
More information about the challenge and the way to sign up here. The best applications are invited to pitch their company in the autumn for an expert jury.
EIT Digital is a European innovation and education organisation. The aim is to improve economic growth and quality of life in Europe through digital technological innovation and education. This is done through the integration of education, research and entrepreneurship and pan-European cooperation with 150 European organisations, including SMEs, start-ups, universities and research institutes. EIT Digital is a ‘Knowledge and Innovation Community’ of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
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