After a rigorous selection process, the names of the ten startups selected for the regional final of the Startup World Cup in Luxembourg were announced. These startups, based in Luxembourg and the Greater Region, have been invited to participate in the competition to be held on February 6. The winner will go onto represent Luxembourg at the Startup World Cup, organized in Silicon Valley on May 22.
by: Silicon Luxembourg
photo: Startup World Cup
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The Startup World Cup includes more than 65 regional competitions and conferences, connects the ecosystems of startups, encourages them to compete and stand a chance to win an investment of $1 million.
The regional final is co-organised by EY, a leading professional services company, and the House of Startups, under the leadership of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. For the third consecutive edition, EY will host the awards ceremony at its Kirchberg premises.
The 10 startups selected for the regional finals in Luxembourg are:
- ADAPTI.ME, an RPA tool that allows websites to adapt (in terms of content, layout, ergonomics etc.) to each visitor by modifying the pages real time in order to match preferences, interests, personality, physical appearance, handicaps or any other particularity.
- ANOTE MUSIC a European platform for buying and selling songs whose aim is to put investors in touch with music rights holders.
- FOOD4ALL enables its partners to make a profit from their losses and allows consumers to have access to products with an expiry date in the near future at reduced prices. On a larger scale, their services aim to reduce food waste.
- GOLDBAUM is an AI-powered research platform for analysts and portfolio managers. It reconciles compiles and consolidates all your financial data in one place. By integrating them with leading research IT tools in a centralized tracking table, this platform simplifies your workflow.
- HIGHSIDE is a secure alternative to Slack/WhatsApp for organizations that use regulated/sensitive data. It dramatically reduces your organization’s exposure to the risks of cybercrime.
- HOTAILORS is a business travel organization platform that provides access to the best offers in real time for more than 2 million hotels and over 700 airlines worldwide. It lets you plan and book business trips as well as prepare expense reports in less than 5 minutes, in accordance with your business travel policy and budget limits.
- MYMEDBOT is an alert application for schoolchildren that connects students and staff with nurses and psychologists through an internal chat service and geolocation.
- OQ TECHNOLOGY is building a global constellation of satellites dedicated to the “Internet of Things” and aims to provide wireless Internet connection everywhere, especially in remote and rural areas.
- UFODRIVE makes the customer experience in global car rental quick and easy. There are no more keys, paperwork, queues, or gas hassles. All you have to do is arrive and drive. This service is available 7 days a week and 24 hours a day in the main cities and airports of Europe.
- ZREALITY provides an XR marketing platform that allows companies to present their products in virtual and augmented reality formats.
Listen to article (Part II)
The jury of the 2020 edition, responsible for the pre-selection of the 10 startups and the announcement of the winner of the regional final will be:
- Rajaa Mekouar-Schneider, President of the LPEA, Private Equity Investor
- Kamel Amroune, CEO of Farvest Group, Entrepreneur
- Stefan Berend, Director of Startup Acceleration, Luxinnovation GIE
- Xavier Buck, Co-founder and President of EuroDNS, Entrepreneur and Investor
- Robert Glaesener, CEO of TalkWalker, Entrepreneur
- Jean-Louis Schiltz, Senior Partner at Schiltz & Schiltz, Lawyer and former Minister of Telecommunications.
As a prelude to the Regional Final, the House of Startups organized, with the support of EY, a rehearsal day on January 22nd for the 10 pre-selected startups. Sessions included a preparatory public speaking coaching session by Guy Benzeno, founder of Center Stage, as well as other entrepereneurial sessions with coaches from the Luxembourg startup ecosystem. The objective of this “Pitching Rehearsal Day” was to give the pre-selected participants the best chances of success in the Startup World Cup.
On February 6, during the regional finals of the Startup World Cup, all participants and guests will have the opportunity to hear the internationally renowned speaker Bill Reichert. Bill, with more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and operations manager, began his investment career as Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures and has served on the boards of a number of startups. Prior to his position at Garage Technology Ventures, Bill co-founded and led several venture-backed technology startups, including Trademark Software, The Learning Company, and Academic Systems. Earlier in his career, Bill worked at McKinsey & Company, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., and the World Bank. Bill holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration (“MBA”) from Stanford University. Previously a founding member and President of the Churchill Club and a member of the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, Bill currently chairs the Small Fund Roundtable of the Venture Capital Task Force and is a member of the UN Council on Foreign Relations in New York.