On May 17-18, 2018 Minsk will host EMERGE Conference, the international tech event designed to unite the startup scene of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (region also known as the New East) and to prove it to be more than outsource-hub for major tech companies.
EMERGE Conference will bring together industry experts, investors, and media professionals from the US, Europe with the startups and leaders of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Over 1,000 attendees from more than 10 countries are expected.
The representatives of local startup ecosystems of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Georgia will speak on the same stage with top western experts and shed some light on the startup scene in their regions.
EMERGE CHALLENGE is the other significant part of the conference. This startup competition will bring together the most promising early-stage startups from emerging tech hubs. And today it announces the call for applications.
CHALLENGE is open to any startup that has received under €1 million in funding to date, originates from an emerging tech hub or solves a problem of the emerging market. General criteria are a working prototype and an early proof of demand.
EMERGE is a true meeting point for East and West. For startups, it is an opportunity to present their ideas to accelerators, investors and VCs that are willing to invest directly into early-stage startups from New East. And for investors and media EMERGE is a chance to be the first to tap into this region and to learn about its emerging companies and ideas, – Margo Lazarenkova, organiser of EMERGE, Founder of Create IT! community (Minsk).
Across 2 days, startups will compete at EMERGE on the Unicorn Stage.The competition is broken down into 5 “tracks” according to the topics:
- Emerging & Enabling Technologies
Emerging technologies in 5G, Food & Agro, Cleantech, Blockchain, IoT, Robotics and autonomous systems, Smart Materials, Wearables, etc.
- PhilTech powered by Rybakov Foundation
Technologies in Philanthropy, designed for social enterprises, organisations with social responsibility focus, volunteers, NGOs, etc.
- Data & AI powered by Yury Melnichek
Startups in fields of Big Data & AI.
- Creative tech powered by Create IT
Technology solutions for creative industries: Advertising, Marketing, Fashion, Retail, Games, AR&VR, Media.
- Crypto Roadshow
Track for pre-ICO startups and companies.
The shortlisted contestants (200+ startups) will get free tickets to the event as well as the access to Matchmaking tool. The top startups will present in front of distinguished investors and experts, as well as hundreds of attendees.
Among the jury of the competition there are Yury Melnichek (maps.me, AIMATTER), Oscar Kneppers (Rockstart, Amsterdam),Cristobal Alonso (Startup Wise Guys, Tallinn), Bay McLaughlin (Brinc, Hong-Kong), as well as representatives of Rybakov Foundation (Moscow), Runa Capital (Moscow), Speedinvest (Germany) and others.
The winner of CHALENNGE receives the coverage from our media-partners in CoFounder Magazine and Onliner.by, great attention from investors and potential partners, as well as the cash prize which will be announced later on.
Find the regulations of the competition and the application form are found here. The deadline for application to CHALLENGE is April 20.
Startups from New East have distinct competitive advantage – tech skills. However, they don’t necessarily have access to funds and infrastructure for growth. The whole region has been underrepresented for a long time. Situation started changing with the development of Hi-Tech Park in Minsk, success-stories of MSQRD and AIMATTER, both being acquired by Facebook and Google respectively, Viber, legalization of ICO and cryptocurrency. EMERGE is here to provide visibility for New East region and to give access to international investors, experts and media– Alina Bezuglova, organizer of EMERGE, Founder & CEO Rutech (London).
The conference is held with the support of Microsoft, Rybakov Foundation, Calvert 22 Foundation and more partner.
