WHY DO WE HOLD A GREEN STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

The Mission Statement of the European Commission in the area of Environment, aims to protect, preserve and improve the environment for present and future generations, proposing and implementing policies that ensure a high level of environmental protection and preserve the quality of life of EU citizens. It also makes sure that Member States apply EU environmental law correctly and represents the European Union in environmental matters at international meetings.

To enable EU citizens to live well, within the planet’s ecological limits, in an innovative, circular economy, where biodiversity is protected, valued and restored and environment-related health risks are minimized in ways to enhance our society’s resilience, and where growth has been decoupled from resource use.

Following this massive goal, Green StartUp Europe Awards will recognise the work of startups working in these areas and trying to make this world a better place to live.

AIM:

Green StartUp Europe Awards aims at recognising startups offering products, services or methodologies addressing: improved resource efficiency, climate change, low carbon economy, societal challenges, new business opportunities, circular Economy, blue growth, renewable energy, etc.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Sustainability: the product or service must contribute to reduce the ecological impact of the city, thus increasing the sustainability from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A CITIES STARTUP STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

Cities are currently gaining importance in our societies. According to the World Bank, more than 180,000 people commute to their cities each day thus becoming daily urban population. By 2030, the urbanization process will lead the 60% of the worldwide population to live in urban areas. That rate will be even bigger in Europe, where two thirds of the European population already lives in urban areas. The importance of cities is, therefore, huge and their role is vital if we bear in mind the challenges we have to face: climate change, immigration, water, waste, employment, energy, etc.

As Jaime Lerner, architect and major of Curitiva, said, cities are not the problem, they are the solution. This is like that because cities are also the nodes of knowledge, creativity and the ideas interchange. They are the places in which innovation may easily arise.

When we talk about cities, Europe has a lot to add to the world context. Its urban models have lots of mistakes to solve, but still are very close to the sustainable development ideal. They reach the balance between the unsustainable sprawl of most of the American cities or the high population density of most of the Asiatic macro-cities. Therefore, these awards aims at recognising the European leadership position, as well as going on supporting the innovation and creativity in such a crucial area for the world’s development.

AIM:

It aims at rewarding the best startups working in projects related with the intelligent management of cities, covering topics such as planning, mobility, waste management, energy efficiency, water cycle,citizen participation, etc.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Sustainability: the product or service must contribute to reduce the ecological impact of the city, thus increasing the sustainability from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Governance: The product or service proposed will ease the citizen participation in the city management and it will allow to directly interact with the citizens’ needs or opinions.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A CREATIVE STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

The current cultural world is constantly changing. The economic crisis of 2008 has carried out a social-cultural state of trance, which implies a continuous pursuit for new identities. As a result, the search for a professional position in the cultural field has become a difficult task within the last few years. In the Eurozone, the unemployment rate related to arts has raised up to 22,39%.

The creative and cultural professionals must show now more than ever a clear concern about responding to the call of that change. As Andy Warhol said once: “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” We live in a time demanding for new projects and renewals.

The entrepreneurship activity in Europe has raised up to 8%, a figure which slowly approaches the USA, a country in which entrepreneurship reaches the 12% of the commercial activity. The SEA rely on the potential of Europe and its entrepreneurs, willing to bring the focus and reconnaissance on them and their activity.

The Creative category of the SEA is addressed to professionals on the field of culture and creativity. Concretely, the focus lies on those entrepreneurs who have a project on the field of visual arts, performing arts, architecture, audio-visuals, literature, music, design and fashion, among others.

These awards have as objective the support of the entrepreneurs in the field of culture in order to boost their efforts in a crucial moment, since globalization and consumerism are diminishing identity signs that come along with culture. Furthermore, the search for innovation and creativity will be promoted in order to get culture further than just post-modern parameters.

AIM:

The aim of these awards is to reward the best startups working on cultural and creative projects in its broadest sense (visual arts, architecture, audio-visuals, literature, music, design and fashion), taking into consideration the originality of the project and its subsequent implementation. Moreover, the project must pursue a transnational geographical dimension, successfully reaching a European or even global dimension.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Originality: the project must be considered innovative in a broad sense, that is, that this characteristic must be clearly present in any of the fundamental stages of the development process.
• Cultural compromise: the proposal must be specifically conceived and oriented for the cultural interest.
• Impact: the project must be conceived with the aim of having a great impact and multiplying its results.
• Sustainability: it has to be sustainable from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A ENERGY STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

The energy system is rapidly changing, and it is expected that by 2030, half of the electricity will be generated by renewable energies. This is why we have to prepare the European energy system, thus making it more flexible and orientated to the market, as just that way we will be able to fulfil the climate goals set in Paris, and likewise with the EU in terms of energy.

Nowadays, the European Commission has launched an initiative to design the future European energy market. The initiative aims at adapting the European legislation through the energy system changing; which in turn will allow the increasement of the intermitent production levels of electricity from the renewable sources as well as more interconection.

The initiative aims at fixing reliable prices for the investors, as well as implementing the competitivenes and ease the access to new oerators, as well as that the markets will be more flexible to increase the distribution of the energy and allow the renewable energy producersto benefit from the advantages of the integrated markets.

Ministries aim at increasing the secutiry in the supply as well as improving the information addressed to consumers in order to them making decisions with regards to energy topics.

The Enegetic Union startegy aims at gaining distance from the national supplying approach towards a more regional one. The objective of the European Commission is to create a fully operational and interconnected energy market within the European Union (EU).

Therefore, these awards aims at valuing the European leadership position as well as going on supporting the innovation and creativity in the scope of the renewable energies, stimulating enterpreneurs and businesspeople to create more innovative and competitive projects that are closer to the markets, and which will help them to meet the EU’s goals in terms of sustainability and efficient energy, climate change and support the renewable energies, as well as complying with the EU 2020 Strategy.

AIM:

Energy StartUp Europe Awards aims at rewarding the best innitiatives working in projects related to the development of sustainable and efficient energy models, based on renewable energies, as well as the development and technology transfer in the area of renewable energies, besides the best goverance projects and citizenship participation in the development of renewable energies.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Sustainability: the product or service must contribute to reduce the ecological impact of the city, thus increasing the sustainability from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A SOCIAL STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

Social innovation can be defined as the development and implementation of new ideas (products,services and models) to meet social needs and create new social relationships or collaborations. It represents new responses to pressing social demands, which affect the process of social interactions.

It is aimed at improving human well-being. Social innovations are innovations that are social in both their ends and their means. They are innovations that are not only good for society but also enhance individuals’ capacity to act.

They rely on the inventiveness of citizens, civil society organisations, local communities, businesses and public servants and services. They are an opportunity both for the public sector and for the markets, so that the products and services better satisfy individual but also collective aspirations.

Stimulating innovation, entrepreneurship and the knowledge-based society is at the core of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Following this massive goal, Social StartUp Europe Awards will recognise the work of startups working in these areas and trying to make this world a better place to live.

AIM:

Social StartUp Europe Awards aims at recognising startups offering products, services or methodologies addressing: education, qualitychildcare, healthcare, training, job-search assistance and rehabilitation.

CRITERIA:

The startups will be evaluated following these criteria:

• Sustainability: the product or service must contribute to reduce the ecological impact of the city, thus increasing the sustainability from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A ICT STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

It is more than obvious the important role played by new technologies in the European Union. Jointly, the sector of ICTs reaches the 5% of the EU’s economy, generating the 25% of the business expenses. The investment in ICT has raised the increasement of the European production up to the 50%.

The sector is therefore one of the propellers of EU’s growth. Just a quick review over the data about ICT shows that: per one in two lost job positions, the digital market creates fice; EU digital economy raises 12% per year and is bigger than the Belgian national economy; there are more mobile phone bonus than people; the European sector of ICTs employs 7 million people; according to figures, half of the growth of production is due to the investment in ICTs, and so on.

Furthermore, according to the Digital Agenda for Europe, digital economy grows 7 times faster than the traditional economy. Currently, 250 millions of Europeans use internet daily.

Therefore, these awards aims at adding value to the European development related to the new technologies that will allow the improvement of the competitiveness of the EU in this sector, as well as the increasement of the use of ICTs by the citizenship.

AIM:

ICTs StartUp Europe Awards aims at rewarding the best startups working in innovative projects related to the new technologies of Information and Communication, from software, to platforms, also covering new communication systems, IoT, 5G, etc.ICTs StartUp Europe Awards aims at rewarding the best startups working in innovative projects related to the new technologies of Information and Communication, from software, to platforms, also covering new communication systems, IoT, 5G, etc.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Sustainability: the product or service must contribute to reduce the ecological impact of the city, thus increasing the sustainability from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A TOURISM STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

Tourism is a major economic activity in the European Union with wide-ranging impact on economic growth, employment, and social development, so that it can be a powerful tool in fighting economic decline and unemployment. Nevertheless the tourism sector faces a series of challenges: the economic crisis has seriously affected both the national and transnational tourism.

EU policy aims to maintain Europe’s standing as a leading tourist destination while maximising the industry’s contribution to growth and employment. It also promotes cooperation between EU countries, particularly through the exchange of good practice. The EU’s competence in the tourism sector is one of support and coordination the actions of member countries.

Tourism StartUp Europe Awards, following this massive goal, aims at rewarding the startups working in that Europe keeps it leadership in the tourism sector.

AIM:

Tourism StartUp Europe Awards aims at recognising startups offering products, services or methodologies addressing: tourism, mobility, hotels, sustainable tourism, applications for tourism, location of establishments, etc.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Sustainability: the product or service must contribute to reduce the ecological impact of the city, thus increasing the sustainability from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A WATER STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

Water is the source for life! It is life itself, actually. It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle.

Protection of water resources, of fresh and salt water ecosystems and of the water we drink and bathe in is therefore one of the cornerstones of environmental protection in Europe. The stakes are high, the issues transcend national boundaries, and concerted action at the level of the EU is necessary to ensure effective protection.

Since 2001 a Common Implementation Strategy has been in operation, bringing together national experts, stakeholders and the Commission involved initially in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, and then later in the implementation of the Floods Directive as well.

Tourism StartUp Europe Awards, following this massive goal, aims at rewarding the startups working in that Europe goes on improving the good use of water.

AIM:

Water StartUp Europe Awards aims at recognising startups working in the implementation of water sustainable systems, coordination to public participation, chemical pollution, groundwater, floods and intercalibration…

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Sustainability: the product or service must contribute to reduce the ecological impact of the city, thus increasing the sustainability from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A HEALTH STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

Many challenges need to be met to grant everybody’s legitimate wish for a long, happy and healthy life. Chronic and infectious diseases, pandemic threats and antimicrobial resistance are on the rise. Also, the side effects of an ageing population will need to be addressed – the number of people in the EU aged over 65 will have grown by 70% by 2050.

European research and innovation in health helps to tackle these challenges. It is an investment in our health and, on a larger scale, an investment in a healthy workforce, a healthy economy and lower public health bills. In that sense, Europe motivates startups to develop new solutions using new technologies that could keep older people active and independent for longer and help European health and care systems to remain sustainable.

AIM:

Health StartUp Europe Awards aims at recognising startups offering solutions to health and wellnes challenges through products and services that help to improve life quality and connecting health to new technologies.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Sustainability: it has to be sustainable from an environmental, social and economic point of view.
• Impact:the project must be conceived with the aim of having a great impact and multiplying its results.
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A FINTECH STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

The rise of fintech has forever changed the way companies do business. The traditional model of a new business turning directly to its local high street bank and/or a conventional investor is no longer the only game in town. Global investment in financial technology increased more than twelvefold from $930 million in 2008 to more than $12 billion in 2014. Europe experienced the highest growth rate, with an increase of 215% to $1.48 billion in 2014. Furthermore, the associated reworking of financial regulations, new innovations and customer behaviour, means this figure will continue its sharp growth in the coming years.

The rise of fintech has opened up a world of possibilities. Businesses can offer more services than ever and for a fraction of the price of what it would have cost before. Such is the impact of technology on how finance is run, cities like London actively and aggressively pursue technology talent to ensure it remains competitive.

AIM:

Fintech StartUp Europe Awards Awards aims at recognising startups offering disruptive solutions as new applications, processes, products or business models in the financial services or insurance industry: payments, blockchain/distribution ledger, lending platforms, etc.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation: We will focus on the grade of innovation, disruption and originality of the startups.
• Business model: We will rate the added value to society resulting from the startups (economic viability, private-public collaboration, replicability, etc.).
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD AN AGRITECH STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

Agriculture technology (agritech) is becoming a key area of focus for investors at a global level. Agritech, which is a broad sector, includes a wide variety of technologies and innovation that farmers can apply in farms, distributors can apply after harvest and food companies can apply during processing. One of the main premises of agritech is the ability to produce more food – for a growing global population – with fewer environmentally damaging resources.

There is a huge potential and need to help the agriculture industry find efficiencies, to conserve valuable resources, to meet global demands for protein and to ensure consumers access to clean, safe and healthy food. For all these cases, technological innovation is inevitable.

The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the package of measures for the “Rural Development 2014-2020”established that the European policy for the rural development contributes that the rural areas of the EU can face the wide range of economic, environmental and social challenges that the XXIst century presents. The policy of rural development shares a series of objectives with the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI funds).

AIM:

The objective of the Agritech category is to award the startups that offer products, services and innovative methodologies in the rural and agricultural field, for example: waste reducing technologies such as biotechnologies producing biomaterials from food and agricultural waste, farm-to-consumer distribution, e-grocers, food nutrition transparency, traceability and packaging or processing technologies, among many others.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A CYBERSECURITY STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

To secure the network and the systems of information in the EU is essential to maintain the online economy working and to secure the progress in an appropriate direction. The European Union works in several on a number of fronts to guarantee the cybersecurity in Europe, from the increase of the ability of the Member States to put into practice the international cooperation in terms of cybersecurity and cybercrime.

The strategy of cybernetic security for the European Union and the European Agenda on Security constitute the strategical general framework of the initiatives of the EU in terms of cybersecurity and cybercrime. The Strategy of Digital Single Market also recognizes the importance of the confidence and security. If the EU could achieve a Digital Single Market, they could encourage the economy in almost 415 million of Euros and create hundreds of thousands of new job vacancies. But for the new connected technologies and services to get off the ground, the Europeans need confidence and security.

The platform for public network security and the security of information was created in June 2013 within the framework of the Strategy of Cybernetic Security of the EU, with the objective of identify the good practices that the organisation can follow in the value chain in order to face the risks of cybernetic security. To help SME’s to face these risks is a special approach of the Platform.

AIM:

The category “cybersecurity” recognizes the effort of the startups that work in these areas to improve the cybernetic security and to achieve that citizens can trust new technologies.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A LEGAL STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

The progress of technology is undeniable and it reaches every day more and more sectors. Although it may seem surprising, one of the most traditional sectors, legal has been revolutionised by the creation of different technological tools that ease its functioning in more and more innovative ways. The market is every day more competitive and, therefore, the clients’ requests are higher.

Legal Tech is a sector that is in constant development and growth, there are more and more investors that want to exploit this sector, which currently is flourishing in the United States of America, and that it is establish little by little in Europe. It deals with legal services where the technical part joins the legal one, all developed with technology as a basis, as in the case of cloud environment, artificial intelligence to assist in mechanical tasks, etc.

Over time more applications and webpages will appear, addressed both to lawyer’s, offices in order to accelerate the internal management, and to final clients that will conceive the legal services in a much more efficient way, for instance: looking for a lawyer close to the client, apply for estimates in your city, personalize contracts and lodge complains online in cases of cancelled flights or problems with the telephone companies.

AIM:

The initiative to create a category that will award the apparition of new solutions in the legal sphere comes out of this reality. They will be done through technology and will modernize the sector and help the enterprises to improve both their work and their competitiveness in the market.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A SPACE STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

According to the data of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European space industry is at the forefront and attracts the international cooperation. The excellence of the European centres for research and innovation is widely known and the European space operators (Arianespace, Eumetsat, Eutelsat, SES Global, etc.) are the most successful ones in the planet.

The industrial policy of the ESA consists in improving the competitiveness of the European industry, maintaining and developing space technology, fostering the competitiveness of the European industry, transferring the technology developed for the space into applications of other spheres (“spin-off”) and importing innovations from other sector to the space to be used in new space systems (“spin-in”), promoting the innovation and increasing the technological independence of Europe and creating “Space Incubators” for the enterprises of the sector in all Europe.

The European Space Agency fosters the entrepreneurship through a network of business incubators all around Europe, an initiative to inspire entrepreneurs and to turn business ideas related to the space into commercial and viable enterprises.

AIM:

The SPACE category is born out of the need for awarding those innovative startups within the sphere of aerospace and to set Europe as a world benchmark in this sphere.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A CLIMATE STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

The European Commission is looking at cost-efficient ways to make the European economy more climate-friendly and less energy-consuming.

Its low-carbon economy roadmap suggests that:

• By 2050, the EU should cut greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 1990 levels
• Milestones to achieve this are 40% emissions cuts by 2030 and 60% by 2040
• All sectors need to contribute
• The low-carbon transition is feasible & affordable.

The roadmap suggests that, by 2050, the EU should cut its emissions to 80% below 1990 levels through domestic reductions alone (i.e. rather than relying on international credits). This is in line with EU leaders’ commitment to reducing emissions by 80-95% by 2050 in the context of similar reductions to be taken by developed countries as a group.

To reach this goal, the EU must make continued progress towards a low-carbon society. Clean technologies play an important role.

AIM:

The objective of the Climate category is to award the startups that develop clean technologies and low- or zero-carbon energy, spurring growth and jobs help Europe reduce its use off-key resources like energy, raw materials, land and water. Also, startups who create product or services that help with the mitigation of the impact of the climate change.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A FASHION STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

Fashion and everything around it is in constant movement: from the prêt-à-porter to the low cost shops, there are new tendencies that exhaust the old ones and with them new challenges related to the life cycle, the selling and even human rights arise.

Fashion industry is more and more present and its approach affects not only the commerce but many other aspects from our daily life. Those enterprises that could face all these challenges in an innovative, effective and sustainable way will assure the success of fashion world in the near future.

The life cycle of clothes and fashion will be one of the key factors for the industry: to design a sustainable production that encourages the protection of the environment and the reincorporation of material to it in an effective way will be an essential requirement for the industry to keep growing. Initiatives like applications to exchange clothes or to give a “second life” to old clothes are on vogue among clients, therefore, if a second life for clothes could be implemented on a daily basis and at the same time link it to the fashion world could be getting close to solve one of its greatest issues.

Europe has always been a centre of trends and clothes, over time this industry has declined in favour of other countries. The innovation in the fashion world starts with the creation of a European system of fashion: applications that can allow a local production to have an international expansion, all of this from the sustainable consumption framework.

AIM:

Maybe, that is why the fashion world should also concentrate its effort in create a modern design for the future: innovative, futurist and responsible. Besides, it has to struggle for a democratisation of the fashion, in other to provide everybody with the opportunity of being known along the world to show their designs and ideas.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD A GASTRONOMY STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

In a few years from now, the food industry will have to assume one of the biggest challenges for human beings: the capacity of having a sustainable system of food production, conservation, distribution and waste recycling or even new food that could cater for everybody.

The GASTRONOMY sector needs to create and implement different initiatives that could improve the way we think about food. Thus, sustainable techniques for producing food and transporting it are a constant in innovation projects related to these areas, not only improving the systems of massive production but also approaching local production to local markets, with initiatives like 0km that aims to approach vegetables and fruit gardens to different neighbours in the cities or even the 0m that looks for creating a consistent network of gardens in rooftops of different places in the world. In this way, not only innovation is used for the production but also for the logistics of food: how to move it in the most efficient way to the bigger amount of people.

Food industry and entrepreneurs are also looking for ways to reduce at a minimum the amount of food waste by creating biodegradable packaging or developing apps to manage the remains of a restaurant or a supermarket. The food industry aims to promote the responsible consumption among citizens in order to create a new concept of food.

AIM:

StartUp Europe Awards aims to recognise those entrepreneurs who can address all these issues in an efficient and innovative way, communicating the necessity of facing the challenges related to gastronomy in the modern world.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.

WHY DO WE HOLD AN EDTECH STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS?

For the past 150 years or so, most learning models — especially regarding children — have barely changed: A teacher or lecturer stands at the front of the classroom explaining ideas or introducing facts while students sit and listen with the learning materials being mostly physical textbooks or printouts.

From free e-learning platforms that democratize higher education to online homework help communities, edtech startups of all stripes are popping up across the Europe and pushing the ecosystem to the next level. Even the European Commission has noticed developments in this area and is keen on tapping into the movement.

The E.C.’s Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan is generally focused on three areas: education and training; creating a pro-entrepreneur environment; and developing role models and doing outreach to reach groups whose entrepreneurial potential is not being fully tapped.

Technology is changing the job market, and it’s only natural that we find new ways of determining who the right fit for those jobs is. Edtech is poised to be the biggest and possibly most profitable digitalized sector yet, according with David Bainbridge, CEO and founder of Knowledgemotion.

AIM:

The objective of the Edtech category is to award the startups that bring innovative products or services for educative sector, from online certification platforms to websites that offer interactive learning apps. In general, projects those help to improve and advance in education and not only in training.

CRITERIA:

The most important eligibility criteria are the following:

• Innovation/Technology
• Business Model
• Customer Value Proposition
• Scalability and Market Reach
• Social Clauses: job generated, gender policy, social inclusion, collaboration with NGOs, trainees program.
• European Dimension: participation in European funded projects, partnership or agreements with other European partners.