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Wednesday, 24.04.2024, 02:41
TechChill to focus on the hottest startup industries in the region
The startups that change lives and look for solutions to global problems matter and TechChill 2019 has set it as the theme for the event's agenda. As mentioned before, one of the five verticals discussed at TechChill is fintech that the Baltic countries perceive as critical to economic growth. 70% of investments flow towards fintech solutions with 18% of startups in the Baltics operating in the fintech scene according to data collected by Baltic Startup Mag. ]
Another vertical to discuss is software as a service
(SaaS) that account for 32% of startups in the Baltics. Hardware & IoT is
not the easiest field to operate in, but TechChill
sees many startups from the Baltics leading innovations in this field - 5G
technology, Intelligent devices, Hardware, Internet of Things. Artificial
Intelligence and Machine Learning are terms that come with the next vertical that
TechChill will focus on - deep-tech.
With a high number of graduates in science, maths, computing, engineering,
manufacturing, and construction coming from the Baltics, deep-tech is well
positioned to thrive in the region and create opportunities. The last vertical
shows that technology is not only meant to ease up daily lives but also help to
set better education, health care, environment, and many more aspects.
Currently, social startups (impact) make up 5% of all Baltic startups and
although not that many startups are working in this field, TechChill wants to encourage and give voice to the ones that do.
“We see
technology as an opportunity for solving the big challenges previous
generations couldn't. There are already great startups working in health tech,
edtech, and sustainability solutions and as a way to encourage more of these
businesses to be started in the Baltics, we want to showcase the best ones,“
shares Kristine Kornilova, CEO of TechChill.
All applications
will be evaluated by a jury of investors and representatives from the startup
ecosystem, who will pick the 50 most promising startups to showcase their idea
on the TechChill stage. The jury
includes Ton van 't Noordende, the Founding Partner & CEO at 01 Ventures, Donatas Keras, Co-founder
and Partner at Practica Capital, Andris
Berzins, Managing partner at Change
Ventures, Egita Polanska, Head of the Program and Partnerships at Startup Wise Guys, Juha Ruohonen,
Founding partner at Superhero Capital,
Marili Merendi, VC Associate at Karma
Ventures, Chris Brown, Manager of the Accelerator program at 500 Startups, Olga Barreto-Goncalves,
Chief Start-up Instigator at Magnetic
Latvia Startup.
“Happening at the
center of Baltics, TechChill is such
a good stage opportunity for startups that are looking for investors or other
connections in the region. As for us - Startup
Wise Guys are always on the search for startup superstars to invest in, and
Fifty Founders battle allows us to
see them in one place in one day, saving a lot of time,” says Egita Polanska,
Head of the Program and Partnerships at Startup
Wise Guys.
“With so many
different pitching competitions happening today, we’ve noticed that often
founders underestimate the value that these type of events can bring to them.
And it is not all about the final result: the preparation, discussions,
reiteration of the pitch, feedback and exposure, everything is priceless in
every startup journey. It is like a startup “crash course”. I would encourage
all the newcomers and who look for some kind of boost to their venture –
clients, partners, co-founders, investors – definitely to consider taking part
in this event. As from investor’s point of view, TechChill's Fifty Founders battle year by year brings us great regional
investment opportunities and leads for future investments. It is a great event
to meet the most promising startups from the Baltics, Nordics, and CEE and get
to know the whole investment scene in one place,” adds Donatas Keras, Partner
at Practica Capital.
During the final
battle on stage during the TechChill,
the startups will be evaluated by a final jury - a different jury for each
vertical, chosen from participating investors and experts with relevant
experience in that particular field. As usual, TechChill will offer stage time to all 50 teams, to give all
startups the opportunity to be heard and pitch their idea in front an audience
of hundreds of potential investors, partners, employees, and media.
Don't miss out on
chance of becoming one of the 50 startups that will present the idea to jury on
TechChill's stage. All early-stage
startups with no more than 100k in current funding and with a valid TechChill 2019 Startup pass are welcome
to apply, with no country restrictions.
TechChill is known as the year’s most ambitious and
recognizable Baltic startup ecosystem event and the best opportunity to meet
the most promising new founders and ideas from the Baltics. In the last couple
of years, the event has grown rapidly - from a few hundred participants to two
thousand international visitors. Every February, under the TechChill's leadership, Riga becomes a global innovation, business
and networking center for a week. The next TechChill will happen on February
21-22, 2019 in Riga. More info: www.techchill.co