“Our start-ups need visibility and investment now”

Ms de Tonnac, last year about 1,000 people attended the Seedstars Summit. This year, the event will take place online. Do you expect as many participants this time?
Alisée de Tonnac: We cannot say definitely yet – we currently have more than 4,000 registrations. By the way, participation is free and registration is still open.

What will participants be able to see?
We have produced a special video magazine in which entrepreneurs are introduced and where thought leaders also have their say. The magazine’s content revolves around topics such as female empowerment, impact investing, the green economy and education technologies. This will be followed by our Seedstars documentary, which is nominated for the Cannes Film Festival. And then, of course, the final of our global start-up competition. The five finalists will pitch in front of a jury of investors and the winner will be announced on the 3rd of April. In addition, experts will comment on the finale.

The special thing about the previous Seedstars events was the atmosphere. How can this atmosphere be recreated at an online event?
Yes, all our visitors rave about the entrepreneurial energy at the Seedstars events. Of course, it’s not possible to replace the physical proximity of 1,000 people with an online event. But we want to get the Seedstars Vibe across this Friday  – with emotion, passion and drive. That is why we did not want a sequence of filmed keynotes but produced a magazine instead. Additionally, Seedstars Summit has already kicked off today with the startup bootcamp followed by the investor forum, so we're definitely building up the energy till the 3rd!

Previously, the finalists came to a bootcamp here in Switzerland. What is happening this year?
Basically, everything that took place on-site will now take place online. Our goal is to retain 100% of the offer, so all elements of the bootcamp will be available this year, including coaching sessions, investor pitches and one-to-one meetings with investors. As this is more difficult to do digitally, the bootcamp will last three and a half days this year, instead of the usual two.

Most major tech events have been postponed. Why are you going ahead with this online event?
Start-ups need investment, training, support and visibility now. That is why we transformed ourselves into a media company within a few weeks.

Seedstars has always been a decentralised, global organisation. Did this make the move easier?
In fact, the step wasn’t that big for us. Seedstars employs 200 people in over 40 countries. We work digitally and we use the internet not only for the exchange of knowledge but also for internal events such as a virtual "Friday beers" or "work-life balance sessions". There will be digital icebreakers during the bootcamp with the aim of promoting exchange. We were able to roll out the online event so quickly because we were prepared.

The big issue for all start-ups is the coronavirus crisis. How will that be reflected at the Seedstars Summit?
We have created a large content library of podcasts and videos on a wide range of topics, including this crisis. For example, there’s a podcast with the founder of Zafree Papers, one of our winners in 2019. This start-up from Ethiopia produces paper from crop waste instead of tree pulp. Currently, the demand for her product is very high, but due to the current situation her manufacturing facilities have been shut down and she is unable to answer the demand. 

Speaking of winners, how has the competition progressed so far and how many start-ups have now qualified for the Seedstars Summit?
In the beginning, we had 5000 applications from 83 countries. After the regional finals, 44 companies qualified for the World Finals and will participate in the bootcamp. The five winners will be chosen on Friday. Incidentally, there is also a public prize powered by Vaud; people can vote on our website until 2 April.

If any of our readers not only wants to vote for a start-up, but also sees potential for collaboration, can they contact Seedstars?
Absolutely. That’s why we’re here. An email to info@seedstars.com is sufficient.

(Stefan Kyora)