Several years of Impact HUB Bratislava and Neulogy’s experience resulted in a common intensive program for early-stage tech startups. UPLIFT helps young Slovak tech companies to develop and accelerate in crucial business areas offering a unique opportunity to seek advice from successful mentors. The program is kicking-off soon so don’t miss this opportunity to lift your project up!
Program’s main purpose is to help develop and support young tech companies in the Slovak market, aiming at early-stage startups with max investment up to EUR 50.000. Applicants should have already launched product and validated business case, paying customers, working prototype or MVP. It is not available for idea-stage projects. Unlike usual acceleration programs, UPLIFT does not take any equity and is available for free for selected ventures.
The first batch of UPLIFT is dedicated to startups fostering Urban Innovation. If you operate in the field of smart city, digital transition or work on innovation in future energy, circular economy, social impact or mobility, the program is suited for you. Assuming your startup is unique and has a big potential, you should definitely apply even if you don’t fit into any of these categories.
Seize the opportunity and register now! Registration is open until March 15th, 2018, at www.uplift.sk.
UPLIFT is divided into six weeks of intensive acceleration. Program consist of expert workshops and one-on-one mentoring covering the most important topics from effective business case, through the go-to market strategies, sales, digital marketing up to IP, legal, finances and investment workshops.
Overall, the teams will receive 30 hours of workshop sessions and in total 100 hours of individual mentoring. Organizers prepared practical trainings and case studies from successful entrepreneurs, corporates, and innovators.
Program will conclud with Demo-day and the opportunity to pitch your startup to investors and entrepreneurs in jury. It will bring you closer to the fast track to EUR 150.000 investment by InnoEnergy. UPLIFT provides PR & communication support, possibility to work from Impact HUB co-working space and access to expertise and network of innovators from Impact HUB and Neulogy.
Neulogy is one of the Central European leaders in providing complex consulting services for research, development, tech transfer and commercialization. They are also behind the biggest Slovak startup competition, the Startup Awards. After 7 years of organizing bootcamps for semi-finalists with mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and investors, they realized the need to bring complex acceleration support into the Slovak market.
“We have been organizing Startup Awards bootcamps for 7 years and while those 2-day bootcamps for semifinalists with mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and investors were very useful, we were missing something more long term and more systematic. The launch of UPLIFT reflects this need as well as demand by early stage entrepreneurs, who often come to us and seek advice. Opening of UPLIFT also aims to fill the gap in Slovakia, where no such accelerator exists” said Peter Kolesár, CEO of Neulogy.
Impact HUB is globally known for its diverse community made up of entrepreneurs, freelancers and creatives. It offers unique ecosystem of resources and collaboration opportunities. With more than 3 years of local acceleration experience with social impact and tech for good startups, they decided to upgrade the program and launch UPLIFT.
Co-founder and director of Impact HUB Bratislava, Braňo Šmidt, considers the early-stage phase as the most challenging: “With hundreds of consulted projects in our programs overall, we truly realize how difficult it is to start up a business, make ideas happen or transform startups to sustainable business. First months are extremely challenging and crucial for the surviving on the market. We saw many teams fighting the early-stage phase – the most difficult times for startups. Unfortunately, many promising startups cannot make it through and are forced to leave the market.”
By participating in UPLIFT, you don’t need to give up a share of your company. UPLIFT is supported by the biggest Slovak energy supplier ZSE. Since ZSE belongs to the key Impact HUB partners and envisions innovations in the field of new products and services in the energy sector, company fosters use of renewable energy resources, energy effectiveness and environment protection.
Program was created in a cooperation with InnoEnergy, the European company promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and education in sustainable energy. InnoEnnergy supports and invests in innovation at every stage of the journey of the startup.
Don’t forget, registration is open until March 15th, 2018, on our website.
