07.03.2017
Call for participation in Startup Olé conference April 26-27 in Salamanca, Spain
The “Support to SME development in Armenia” (SMEDA) project, in cooperation with Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) and Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Development National Center (SMEDNC) invites up to 10 Armenian technology based startups to participate in Startup Olé 2017 on April 26-27 in Salamanca, Spain.
SMEDA is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ Private Sector Development in South Caucasus Programme. SMEDA is part of the EU4Business and EU4Innovation initiatives of the European Union.
Startup Olé is a 2-day international tech and entrepreneurship event with the aim to connect startups, match them with funders, serial entrepreneurs who can act as mentors and business advisers to help them to grow. It connects startups and tech/digital talent with corporates, investors, accelerators. Up to 10 Armenian startups (each one representative) will have a great opportunity to get involved in the European Startup ecosystem. More information: www.startupole.eu
The participation of the event will give various benefits to startups as, including:
- A space to present startup (Over 1000 attendees during the 2 days)
- Visibility over various channels (logo on website, Newsletter and Social network posts)
- Opportunity to be part of the Startup Ole pitching competition
- Opportunity to be part of matchmaking events with investors and corporates
For participating startups, the costs related to event participation (travel expenses, accommodation, visa) are covered by SMEDA. For the presentation within the Startup Olé an own contribution of minimum 50 Euro is mandatory.
Who can participate? - The competition is open to Armenian technology based startups. To take advantage of the potential connections you will make at Startup Olé, applying companies should be in their growth phase or at least have proven traction in their products or/and have a serious potential for growth. The main selection criteria will be:
- Growth story over the last 12 months
- Potential to expand internationally, particularly to European Markets
- Potential to scale the product and to raise external capital
- Ability to present the company including Business English
A shortlist of up to 15 companies will be chosen by a judging board consisting of SMEDA, EIF, SMEDNC, and Investments and the EU Delegation of Armenia. The final selection of up to 10 participants from the shortlist will be made by Startup Ole and representatives of StartupEurope.
Where to apply? - All interested startups should apply by filling in the following online form: https://goo.gl/FNfY1z and provide a link to an uploaded pitch deck of max. twelve PowerPoint slides in the same form latest by March 15th 2017.
Timeline
March 15 - Deadline for call submission
March 17 - Selection of Shortlist
March 19 - Selection of Winners
March 20 - April 20 - Preparation of the teams
- Administrative / Travel arrangements
- Preparation of the startups for the Startup Olé (Pitch deck, investment proposals, meeting arrangements with potential investors, corporates, etc.)
April 25 - 28 - Trip to Salamanca, Spain
May 3 - Feedback and Follow-Up Session in Yerevan
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Call for participation in Startup Olé conference April 26-27 in Salamanca, Spain 
