![legaltech balzaal Raad van State](https://innovationorigins.com/app/uploads/2018/05/legaltech-balzaal.jpg)
Skotty, the Eindhoven startup that builds an alternative to email, is one of the last eight in the competition for the Legal Tech Startup Awards. The semi-final on 24 May will determine whether Mees Boeijen’s concept is strong enough for a spot in the finals. The semi-final takes place in the ballroom of the building of the Raad van State in The Hague.
The Legal Tech Startup Awards 2018 is a competition for technology start-ups with potential for the legal industry. Out of a total of 22 entries from the Netherlands and abroad, eight technological start-ups were selected by the expert jury, because of their focus on the legal sector, the degree of innovation, the impact on legal work processes and the entrepreneurial skills of the founders.
Besides Skotty there are also Predictice (France), Schadewacht (Netherlands), Rechtsontwikkeling (Netherlands), Contract Mill (Finland), Blockschainstichting (Netherlands), IAM4 (Netherlands) and LeReTo KG (Austria). “As an organisation, we are surprised by the diversity of this year’s applications, but also by the international character of the entries”, says Jelle van Veenen of Dutch Legal Tech. “We trust that tools and techniques will be presented that fundamentally change something in the work process of a legal professional.” What is striking this year, according to Van Veenen, is “that there is a lot of innovative technology among the candidates, such as artificial intelligence, search and blockchain”.