Awards News South Africa

Last call for Seedstars World Competition 2020/21

Seedstars, the Swiss-based private company with a mission to impact people's lives in emerging markets, is happy to announce that its Seedstars World Competition 2020/21 will be held exclusively online.
Last call for Seedstars World Competition 2020/21

Following the success of its Online Seedstars Summit earleir this year, the company decided to digitally redesign its events worldwide, to ensure the safety of its partners and community in the scope of the Covid-19 crisis. With a mission to create positive impact through technology and entrepreneurship, this was also the opportunity to open the competition to more startups across the globe.

“...We could not be prouder to support a community that is eager and capable of taking concrete and constructive steps. By remaining independent while always standing in solidarity, we aim to go beyond physical interactions in order to create impact on broader society”, says Pierre-Alain Masson, co-Founder of Seedstars.

The company will train more than 1,800 startups through the Online Seedstars Academy and select one local startup winner per city to take part in the Regional stage competition. The startups selected for each region will then compete at the Grand Finale to be held in April 2021.

The call for applications has opened its doors to startups from multiple countries and cities around the world.

The competition is looking for technology startups, tech-enabled ventures, and/or early-stage companies that fit the following criteria:

  • must have a Minimum Viable Product (MVP);

  • initial traction with their users;
  • ongoing operations based in the country/city of application;
  • and must have no previous investments larger than US$ 1 million up to date of application.

To apply, simply visit the Seedstars World Competition website and find the city nearest you. Applications close Friday, 31 July 2020.

Following the digitalisation trends of traditional onsite events, the Seedstars World tour has become the Online Seedstars World Competition, a fully virtual experience accessible via Seedstars Life, a dedicated platform setup to host the regional and global events.

Reaching much larger audiences while providing the same benefits to its startups, investors and partners, the competition which launched in June 2020 will seek for the most promising startups across 90+ ecosystems who will compete in the running for the title of Seedstars World Global Winner and the prize of up to US$500,000 in investment.

Seedstars is often defined as an investor, an accelerator, an entrepreneur and a startup competition. But it goes way beyond that. “We have become a global community with over 150,000 members. It is a community that defines itself by its people and their shared purpose that together we can achieve great things and build a better future”, says Alisée de Tonnac, co-Founder of Seedstars.

“That’s what we’re conveying through our #WeareSeedstars campaign. Our goal is to identify and empower the most innovative startups around the world, by providing the means to share entrepreneurial education and investment. We want to give a global opportunity to those who don’t have access to resources, facilitate growth for entrepreneurs in emerging markets and act as a catalyst for the local entrepreneurial ecosystem” she adds.

As a remote team providing online programs since it was created in 2013, Seedstars has been transcending borders ever since and continues to bring change through innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. With its Online World Competition, Seedstars lives up to its core philosophy, by repurposing its activities using technological tools. Constantly transforming to face ever-challenging environments, the company is committed to helping other organizations face the crisis and adapt their business models. In times of uncertainty, Seedstars continues to learn and transfer knowledge to its partners and community.

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