32 Bulgarian Startups Are Among CESAwards 2017 Finalists
A total of 32 Bulgarian companies compete in the Central European Startup Awards (CESAwards 2017), which aims to distinguish the best businesses in the region. The competition deadline for voting for local winners among the finalists announced on the CESAwards website expired on August 23. At local level, the initiative is led by the Association of Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ABLE).
Along with the public voting, an expert jury was also assessing the finalists. Its members include Leona Aslanova, founder of Innovation Starter Box, Rumyana Trencheva, Regional Executive Director of SAP, Viktor Koskonel, Executive Director of Sodexo Bulgaria, Kiril Petkov, Senior Entrepreneur and Lecturer at the Center for Economic Strategies and Competitiveness, Philip Genov, Vice President of Unicredit Bulbank, Momchil Vassilev, Executive Director of the enterprise network Endeavor Bulgaria and Dilyan Dimitrov, Founder of Eleven Venture Capital Fund. Voting by a wide audience was the eighth vote for the assessment of the seven-member jury, which chooses the winners on a national level that will qualify for the regional round.
This year there were 12 categories. In the local race the fiercest competition was for “Best Newcomer” – for companies with up to two-year background which have made the biggest progress in the development of the company, the innovations created and the impact of their product or service. In an interview for Bloomberg TV Bulgaria, Denitsa Simeonova from ABLE said that this year the applications were mostly from technology companies with platforms or technological products that use artificial intelligence, the Internet of things and Big data.
Here are the Bulgarian finalists in the categories:
“Start-up of the Year” – Connecto.ai; Coursedot; IGreet; Prospecto Group; Reputize
“Best Newcomer” – ClaimCompass; Connecto.ai; Coursedot; iGreet; Reputize
“Best Social Impact Startup” – EuroPATC; farmhopping; JAMBA; Red Paper Plane
“Best Smart City Solution” – Narcine
“Best Biotech Startup” – Biodrinks Ltd; Green Corp; Micar Innovation; NutriGen
“Best Fintech Startup” – KLEAR LENDING; Property Club; Virtual Broker; World VIP Club
“Best IoT Startup” – App Lighthouse; Bee Smart Technologies; Navigato; Pro Smart Ltd.
“Best AI Startup” – Centroida; Connecto.ai; Maj.io; Transmetrics; Trevor Labs
“Founder of the Year” – Yulian Sofroniev (Biodit), Vicho Dimitrov (iGreet), Adel Zakut (clippings); Vladislav Simov (Domestina); Vladislav Mihaylov (Birlibam)
“Investor of the Year” – DigiMark Ventures; LAUNCHub Ventures; Unicredit Venture Hub
“Best Accelerator and Incubator Program” – Start It Smart | Pre-Accelerator; UniStart; Cleantech Bulgaria
“Best Coworking Space” – Cosmos Coworking Camp; Puzl CowOrKing; Startup Factory; ZaraLab; Work & Share Coworking Space
The winners will be announced on September 25 and the regional competition will be held on November 23. For the first time Sofia will host the event for the region. The ceremony in Sofia Tech Park will bring together the brightest ideas and teams from all the countries in Central and Eastern Europe in all 12 categories. At the event, the selected Bulgarian startups will be presented together with the best participants from Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Hungary. “We expect the attendance of a number of corporations that we hope will be able to see the potential of the start-ups, show willingness to work with them, and get the decision to invest in start-up companies or become their customers.”, Kremena Despinova, project leader of the event said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio.
The final round at a global level will take place in the spring of 2018. News about the CESAwards can be viewed on the Facebook page of ABLE Bulgaria – https://www.facebook.com/ABLE.Bulgaria/.
You still can book your seat at the Bulgarian Finals on September 25. The access is free, but you have to book your presence here.
