Start4big, Europe’s first cross-sector open innovation initiative promoted by Aigües de Barcelona, CaixaBank, Naturgy, SEAT and Telefónica, is entering the final phase of its first edition. The 40 finalists have now been selected after they submitted innovative solutions during the Pitch Days to a panel of expert judges who work for the businesses that make up Start4big. These companies are present in more than 80 countries, are staffed by a total of 200,000 employees and have a significant customer portfolio of over 380 million people worldwide.
The call for proposals closed with 139 participating start-ups, which generated a total of 173 applications (as individual start-ups could apply to one or more of the challenges put forward). Of all these applications, 57% are Spanish start-ups and the remaining 43% hail from countries such as Germany (11), France (6), or Israel (5), among others.
Created with the goal of enhancing innovation and strengthening the national and international business fabric, the programme will announce the winners next September. The selected start-ups will have the opportunity to begin negotiations with the partners of the initiative in order to implement a pilot project that has an impact on the business sectors and society as a whole.
Finalists of the first Wave of Innovation
The finalist start-ups successfully completed a selection process which began in December with the launch of 4 challenges: 3 cross-sector ones where they have the opportunity to work with two or more Start4big partners; and a transversal one where they can ultimately develop a pilot with all the businesses involved. A jury panel made up of 32 international judges, experts in several areas of technology and innovation, as well as 76 internal judges who work for the business units of each of the companies included in Start4big, evaluated the submitted projects. The best 40 applicants now enter the final stage of the competition.
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SOURCE: SEAT
