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Registration for Startup World Cup 2022, the largest international startup conference and competition with a finale in Silicon Valley and an investment fund of $1 million, began January 13. This event gives startups an opportunity to present their project to the international community and compete for investments from the organizer. Among the company’s clients are SpaceX, Airbnb and SoFi, in total it has already invested more than $14 billion.
In Ukraine, the national selection is organized by the official partner of the Startup World Cup – incubator “Ukrainian Future” of the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Together with the incubator, we tell the stories of the finalists of the last national selection.
About Ukrainian Future
Ukrainian Future is the first state business incubator from the Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The project introduces educational programs for entrepreneurs, mentoring, funding and grant opportunities. It also has a physical space that combines a co-working room, a prototyping lab and a material’s library. Here, inventors can work on their ideas in comfort and surrounded by like-minded people.
The business incubator is the only accredited member of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) and has the status of a GIST Innovation Hub – a global innovation project of science and technology initiatives of the US State Department.
In this article we tell you about three successful Ukrainian startups, which, we hope, will inspire you to participate in the Startup World Cup 2022!
Dmytro Surdu, the founder of Kray startup
The startup Kray produces automatic agro-rolling machines. Such devices help cut protective agents on plants to fertilize them and, consequently, increase crop yields. The drones were developed with climate change from global warming in mind: as the area for growing crops shrinks and the population increases, yields will become more critical.
The project is currently at an early stage of development, but has already won the national selection to the Startup World Cup, and in October 2022 will compete for supremacy in the finals in the US.
Dmitry, the founder of the startup, says that by the time he participated in the national selection process, his startup was already 5 years old. He created it together with a team of eight people.
For him, participation in Startup World Cup was not only an opportunity to develop his business idea, but also a place to find like-minded people. It is at such events, in his opinion, that it is important to unite, form useful trends and make the world a better place together.
“I advise everyone to think about two things: ecology and space exploration. 90% of efforts of future start-ups should be aimed at solving environmental issues, which can’t be avoided anyway.”
Eugene Eric, founder of startup Solar Gaps
Solar Gaps are smart blinds with solar cells that automatically follow the movement of the sun during the day. They simultaneously generate electricity and regulate the temperature in the room. Solar panels are attached to the moving elements, and their power allows 1 square meter to generate 100 watts per hour of operation and save 30% energy on indoor air conditioning.
The startup has been in operation since 2015. Eugene’s team submitted prototype inventions for the competition. Today the project has turned into a small-scale production with offices in Kyiv and San Francisco and distributors around the world. The business actively cooperates with energy companies and has an important mission – to create alternative energy sources and introduce solutions that will protect the planet from overheating.
Eugene calls attention to the environment on a par with health care, one of the most popular trends in today’s startup world. The team understood that there was a demand in the market for ecological devices, and this was an additional motivation for participating in the Startup World Cup.
Eugene got a productive experience from the contest, and the company as a whole got an impetus for further development. The presentation of the startup helped the products get more exposure in the media.
“SWC is an opportunity for already launched projects and a stepping stone for advanced startups that want to reach new heights in business,” he notes.
Dmitry Ohrimchuk, co-founder of startup Organization.GG
Organization.GG is an online platform for cyber athletes and streamers, allowing them to play together with fans. Instead of passively watching the game, someone can join their favorite streamer’s team or even compete with them in a 1×1 tournament.
The company was registered in July 2020, and in December Dmitry’s team had already made it to the Startup World Cup National Selection. By now, Organization.GG has just launched in beta. The starter says that he was very worried, because the competitors at the competition had much more experience, and their companies have been working and releasing products to the market for several years. However (however) the team of 5 participants still had high expectations and prepared to perform and win as well as possible.
For Dmitriy, it was a new experience of pitching his startup, and for the young company it was attention from the media and the community of investors and entrepreneurs. “I advise everyone who already has a running and working product to pitch. The most popular trends right now are everything related to Web 3.0, artificial intelligence, multiverse and cryptocurrencies,” he shares.
Now, Dmitry and his team are expanding the list of available games and integrating the platform into virtual worlds, where everyone can interact with their idol. The company’s goal is to bring the online interaction between Influencers and viewers to a new level, to make it active and accessible.
Who and how can join SWC?
To compete for a million in Silicon Valley can those who:
- Has a project from a registered company;
- Has prepared his/her startup for the competition;
- Completed an application to participate in the SWC.
If a participant is under 18, there is an opportunity to go as a team with like-minded adults. You can register your startup from the age of 16 with parental consent.
You can apply for the Startup World Cup 2022 via the main SWC website: https://www.startupworldcup.io/ukraine-regional-2022
Ukrainian Future website: https://www.ufincubator.com
Subscribe to the official Facebook and Instagram of “Ukrainian Future” in order not to miss important news, announcements and interesting opportunities.
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