EY Start-up Academy 2020 — Seven tech start-ups qualify for the six-week program
Supporting technology-driven business models with future potential is the goal of the EY Start-up Academy. Seven young companies qualified for the finals of this year’s start-up academy in a pitch contest. For the first time, the opening event took place partially virtually due to the corona. Almost 200 viewers took part in the event via webcast.
These are the finalists of the EY Start-up Academy 2020 who convinced the jury and audience the most:
– Divizend (Germany): FinTech platform for reclaiming cross-border withholding taxes on dividends
– Finoa (Germany): Blockchain FinTech that offers digital asset management solutions for professional investors
– New Shore Invest (Germany): FinTech that brings shipping companies and investors together for investments in promising ship projects
– Ninebarc (Germany): FinTech platform for the digital management of estate plans and pension documents
– Pigtie (Germany): Digital service to integrate financial planning and asset accumulation in everyday life and when making purchases
– PONS (USA): Healthcare tech start-up that has developed an approach to identify and categorize risk of traumatic brain injuries
– smartZebra (Germany): Cloud-based, digital workstation for determining parameters for company evaluations
Networking, investors, prize money
The seven start-ups, which are primarily in the early or growth phase and are seeking financing, will now go through the EY Start-up Academy program from September 30th to November 12th .
Each participant is assigned a mentor from the EY advisory group for the duration of the Academy, tailored to the industry and business idea. In a series of workshops and training events, the founders will meet potential financing partners as well as actors from the German start-up scene and successful entrepreneurs to exchange experiences.
On November 12th, the “Academy Award” will be presented at the closing event. In addition to a cash bonus for the three best-placed start-ups, EY will also support the winning team in later stages of the company’s development.
“ We are delighted with the enormous response to the EY Start-up Academy 2020 “, commented Christopher Schmitz, Partner at EY, Head of European FinTech Practice and curator of the EY Start-up Academy. This year applications came from Germany, but also from many other countries.
“ Start-ups, which are often not yet profitable in the early stages of the company, are more severely affected by the effects of the Corona crisis. For example, when VC investors and capital providers freeze their investments. These start-ups are essential for the digital transformation of the German economy However, it will play an important role in the future. It is therefore important for us to support you in the current environment with a view to funding opportunities, networking and pitch preparation, “adds Christopher Schmitz.
These partners support the start-up ecosystem
The number of cooperation partners of the EY Start-up Academy has risen continuously since 2017 when the initiative was launched. A total of 13 partners are committed to the German start-up ecosystem this year as part of the academy: The Federal Association of German Start-ups eV provides its extensive network, the Business Angels FrankfurtRheinMain and the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) bring theirs Expertise of the investor side. Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures and Visa act as contacts on issues such as mobility and digital payment systems. The German stock exchange AG supports with competence in initial public offerings (IPO) and the Venture Network platform. The know-how of Dieter von Holtzbrink Ventures (DvH Ventures), one of the largest European early-stage investors, FinLab, a renowned European investor in the areas of FinTech and Blockchain, seed + speed Ventures, early-stage investor in software-based B2B and B2C startups, is complemented by signals Venture Capital, Europe-wide active investor for B2B business models, Six-Thirty Ventures , Venture Fund in the areas of FinTech, InsurTech and Cybersecurity as well as w & w brand pool , who contribute experience on the topic of pensions from their digital business field. The TechQuartier provides workplaces in its own premises and additional mentoring for the period of the EY Start-up Academy.
Further details and videos about the EY Start-up Academy can be found at https://Start-up-Initiative.ey.com/Academy .
EY Start-up Academy 2020 — Seven tech start-ups qualify for the six-week program was originally published in FrankfurtValley on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.