Seedstars World: The global start-up competition moves into top gear

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21.05.2015

In May 2015, the third edition of Seedstars World will kick off with a new structure and up to USD 1.5M in equity investment to win. The competition will cover 50+ emerging markets.

Seedstars World, the global startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes with roots in Geneva, will kick off its third edition in May 2015. During 7 months, the Seedstars World regional teams will look for the best locally-grown startups all over the world, hosting local competitions and events in over 50 countries. The regional winners will be invited back to Switzerland in February 2016 to compete for USD 1.5M in equity investment and various other prizes.

More than 1,500 startups from Eastern and Central Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America had previously applied to participate in Seedstars World. After 36 countries last year, Seedstars World will cover over 50 countries in total this year. Countries such as Algeria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Myanmar, Panama, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ukraine and Uruguay have been added to the 2015 roster. The first event will take place in Maputo, Mozambique, on May 26th 2015.

Representatives around the globe
In order to scale the business in a sustainable manner and keep its focus on promoting, connecting and investing into entrepreneurship in emerging countries, Seedstars World has adjusted its structure to work more directly with the local players. The company started running a new ambassador program, naming a local ambassador for each city to represent its startup ecosystem and act as a Seedstars World local representative on the ground. Members of the Seedstars World team will also be based in Bangkok, Lima, and Cape Town to strengthen the connections with the local ecosystems.

Seedstars World Team

The Seedstars World team

Partnership with lastminute.com
Another new addition to the competition this year are the Investments Tracks. Seedstars World has partnered up with the iconic brand lastminute.com to source the best travel startups, and with a top financial institution (to be announced soon) to find the most innovative fintech company. Each of these Investment Tracks will have a USD 500K equity prize for its winner, with the association of one of the biggest players in the industries as an added bonus. “We have always thought about doing industry-specific tracks to add more value to the participating startups. lastminute.com is the perfect partner to develop our first track” explains Alisée de Tonnac, Seedstars World CEO. 

Seedstars World is looking for smart startups that solve regional issues and/or develop profitable products for the global market. With partners such as MEST, Google for Entrepreneurs, and Microsoft, Seedstars World identifies fast-growing and pioneering startup scenes and is on the mission to support regional businesses and their growth. 

About Seedstars World
Seedstars World is an exclusive seed-stage startup competition focused on emerging markets and fast growing startup scenes. The mission is to discover the best startups beyond Silicon Valley and Western Europe and help them succeed. The company is also looking to positively impact economic development and job creation in these regions. Seedstars World is part of the Seedstars group, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The Seedstars group, a global venture builder, aims to create and develop startups around the world and they advise investment strategies within Seedstars World.

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