The IMPACT GROWTH accelerator will select 14 startups from amongst the 1,900 participants
The programme, which offers 3.6 million euros equity-free funding, has received entries from 60 countries
Among IMPACT GROWTH’s four verticals, Smart Content and Smart Cities accounted for 70% of the applications
The selected startups will be able to participate in the different events organised by the 4YFN platform
The second call will open for applications on September 5, 2017, and will select another 14 startups
Barcelona, 1 June 2017.- IMPACT GROWTH, the startup acceleration programme backed by leading accelerators, venture capital entities and global brands, wrapped up its first call for applicants with the participation of over 1,900 startups from 60 countries, in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. From amongst the participants IMPACT GROWTH will select a total of 14 startups to initiate an acceleration process headed by ISDI and Accelerace. IMPACT GROWTH is an initiative funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, with a total of €3.6 million for its initial phase.
Spain, Italy, Poland and Denmark led the number of applications in this first call. Among IMPACT GROWTH’s four verticals, of special note was the participation by startups in the Smart Content (41% of applications) and Smart Cities (29% of applications) sectors. Smart Agrifood and Smart Manufacturing are the other two verticals, accounting for 16% and 12% of the applications, respectively. The global brands Ferrovial, MADE, Danone and DOCOMO Digital will support the startups selected in their verticals.
IMPACT GROWTH, led by FundingBox, features two calls for applicants for the selection of a total of 28 startups, granting each with 100,000 euros equity-free for their initial funding. Among those chosen in each call, two startups will also be selected to receive an additional funding of 150,000 euros equity-free. The top startups funded by IMPACT GROWTH will be able to receive a private investment of up to 1.5 million euros from the European venture capitals Kibo Ventures and Accelerace.
The startups will benefit from support by the FIWARE Foundation for the integration of this technology into the development of their projects. FIWARE is an innovative, open source, Cloud-based technology that makes possible the creation and deployment of global services and applications in the new digital age.
The startups will also be able to participate in the different international events organised over the course of the year by 4YFN, the business platform for the growing community of technology startups at the global level supported by Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital).
The startups will also participate in a training programme featuring international experts and entrepreneurs in Madrid, Copenhagen and Barcelona, and have access to an international network of over 100 renowned mentors, founders and investors.
Jury Day to announce the winners
The winners of this selection process will be announced after a Jury Day, slated for June 21 at the ISDI Digital Acceleration Center in Madrid. The panel of experts will be made up of Sanyu Karani and Tomasz Mazuryk, from FundingBox; Nacho de Pinedo and Rodrigo Miranda, from ISDI; Peter Torstensen and Soren Lottrup, from Accelerace; Aquilino Peña and Javier Torremocha, from Kibo Ventures; Simona Torre, representing DOCOMO; Merete Norby, from MADE; and Alessio Sarina, from Danone. These companies will take into account criteria such as scalability and international growth.
Photo by Paul Dufour on Unsplash.
