Deadline: April 1, 2018
Applications are now open for the Digital Top 50 Awards 2018! Google, McKinsey and Rocket Internet have joined forces to create the Digital Top 50 Awards to reward and celebrate the bold and trailblazing work of tomorrow’s top entrepreneurs.
The Digital Top 50 Awards recognise the top entrepreneurial talent in Europe, based on the following five categories: B2B Start-ups, B2C Start-ups, B2B Scale-ups, B2C Scale-ups, and Tech for Social Impact Companies. Participants will have their companies and ideas reviewed by a jury of key figures in the European tech, consulting, academic, corporate, and investment communities.
The awards will be under the patronage of Mr Carlos Moedas, Member of the European Commission, and the winners will be announced at TOA Berlin 2018 conference.
Categories
Applications are open to Start-Ups and Scale-Ups from within the European Union and EFTA countries.
Prizes
Each Shortlist Participant will be invited to TOA Berlin Festival on 20-21 June for the Awards ceremony. This will include reimbursement of travel expenses up to a maximum amount of EUR 500.
All five category winners will receive:
- a McKinsey Start-up Club consulting and mentoring session and support package, including a McKinsey workshop and coaching session, an individual problem solving session for a topic of choice with the McKinsey Start-up Club, and an expert interview within the McKinsey network, e.g., McKinsey consultants, alumni, clients and start-ups;
- a Rocket Internet workshop tailored to the individual needs of the Winners’ business to increase visibility and shape the brand; and
- six hours of skill-based mentoring and access to an exclusive lectures series from Google.
The Winners of the B2C Start-up and B2B Start-up categories will also receive:
- an invitation to a relevant McKinsey hosted event to extend the winners’ local executive network of leaders of the relevant community;
- a feedback session from a Rocket Internet investment manager on the Winner’s pitch deck for further fund raising efforts; and
- a 1-on-1 meeting with Rocket Internet’s CEO Oliver Samwer to discuss the Winner’s business plan (i. e. agile scrum coaching session).
The Winners of the B2C Scale-up and B2B Scale-up categories will also receive:
- an invitation to a relevant McKinsey hosted event to extend the winners’ local executive network with relevant industry leaders and experts;
- a feedback session from a Rocket Internet investment manager on the Winner’s pitch deck for further fund raising efforts; and
- a 1-on-1 meeting with Rocket Internet CEO Oliver Samwer to discuss business plan (i. e. agile scrum coaching session).
The Winner of the Tech-for–social-impact category will also receive:
- a cash prize of EUR 50,000;
- a virtual panel article about the Winner’s business from McKinsey published at the website www.mckinsey.com;
- a product workshop on a topic of choice from Rocket Internet (e. g. feedback on website or app, implementation support); and
- in-depth support of a Rocket Internet tech expert for one month to leverage the Winner’s product or service.
Additional TOA Benefits for all Top50s participants include:
All Top50s nominees receive:
- 1 Startup ticket to TOA18
- 1 Day Startup Booth at TOA Exhibition Area
- Online pitch coaching sessions.
Eligibility
- The Digital Top 50 Awards are open to entries from Start-ups, Scale-ups and Tech For Social Impact Companies with headquarters in EU and EFTA countries.
- It is not required for founders to have EU or EFTA citizenship.
- Please note that they will not accept applications from companies with revenue or valuation greater than EUR 1bn. A digital product or service must be the central element of your company’s business.
- You will have to show that you fulfill this requirement by pointing to a publicly available URL or App as part of your application to the Awards. Please consult our Terms of Participation to observe the details.
Application
Submitting a business plan is not necessary, however please ensure that you answer all questions relevant to your application comprehensively and with as much detailed information as possible.
- Selection Phase. DT50 and TOA teams pre-select Top 100 potential nominees. Jury convenes physically and/or via conference call to choose Top 50 nominees, and their vote comprises 60% of the final decision.
- Pitch Online Phase. Top 50 nominees get pitch coaching sessions by professional coaches and provide 1 min pitches online for public vote to be published on TOA DT50 subpage for 2 weeks in May, 2018. Public vote comprises 20% of the final decision.
- Showcase on TOA stage. 5 official pitch competitions take place on the same dame during TOA Conference on 20-21 June. 5 tracks are held as themed pitch competitions: B2B Startup, B2C Startup, B2B Scale-up, B2C Scale-up, Impact. Each startup will pitch for 3 minutes, and have a 4-minute Q&A session with a judge panel on stage. Each judge panel will consist of industry pioneers, CxOs and investors. Judge vote comprises 20% of the final decision.
- Award Ceremony. TOA calculates the final votes (60% jury + 20% online + 20% TOA judges) and the final DT50 winners will be announced at the award ceremony on TOA stage at the end of the same day when the pitch competitions takes place at TOA.
For more information, visit Digital Top 50 Awards.
