Georgia’s Black Sea city Batumi hosts Startup World Cup competition
Top 10 Georgian startup projects had featured in the contest, with Theneo crowned the winner and given the chance to earn $1 million in the final stage of what is promoted as the world’s largest startup competition. Photo: European Union in Georgia/Facebook page.
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Georgia’s Black Sea city of Batumi on Saturday hosted a national leg of the Startup World Cup competition involving top startups from across the country, the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency said.
The national body said top 10 Georgian startup projects had featured in the contest, with Theneo crowned the winner and given the chance to earn $1 million in the final stage of what is promoted as the world’s largest startup competition.
Photo from GITA Tech Park's Facebook page
Addressing participants of the competition, Mark McCord, the Director of the USAID Economy Security Programme, said the occasion was “a celebration of entrepreneurship” that promoted Georgia’s positioning in the “innovative and knowledge-based economy”.
This event showcased Georgia’s best entrepreneurs and their capabilities. The leading companies of Georgia’s Silicon Valley also visited, which will further strengthen the country’s place in the global arena of innovation. The USAID Economic Security Programme is proud to support this initiative and wishes all the contestants the best of luck”, he said.
The award ceremony of the competition featured over 150 representatives from the United Kingdom, the US and EU countries.
The final, international stage of the competition will be held on September 30 in Silicon Valley in Los Angeles, where best startups from 70 countries will compete for the main prize.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava has met the USAID Economic Security Programme steering team earlier today to discuss recent and ongoing projects under the programme as well as projects planned for the future.
US investors have set up a $500,000 fund to finance Georgian startups as part of a memorandum of understanding signed between the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA) and TECH Friends of Georgia.
Georgia's Innovation and Technology Agency has announced a 100,000 GEL co-financing grant competition for the sixth time.
The USAID will increase support for manufacturing, e-commerce, information and communications technology (ICT), and other innovative sectors, said Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava earlier today after meeting USAID Georgia Mission Director Peter Wiebler.
Georgian startupper Ana Robakidze, the founder and CEO of an AI platform Theneo on Friday won a Pitch contest at the world’s largest technology event, Web Summit 2022 in Lisbon among 2,300 startups, representing hundreds of countries worldwide, the Web Summit announced.
Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday congratulated Ana Robakidze, the founder and CEO of Theneo and her team on winning the Pitch contest at the “most important” startup event, Web Summit 2022 on Friday and said this “great” victory would give “more motivation” to the development of “entrepreneurial spirit” and innovative ideas in Georgia.
Thirteen companies from various countries including Georgia on Friday pitched their ideas to potential investors at an event hosted by 500 Global, a startup accelerator programme, the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency said.