InnoVEX 2019 is around the corner (Just 7 days to be precise) and there is a piece of exciting news about the upcoming pitch contest. Started in 2016 as the startup focused exhibition of COMPUTEX TAIPEI, InnoVEX has continued to grow along with the importance of startups. Positioned as the innovation hub of Asia, InnoVEX continues to attract startups & investors from around the world.
InnoVEX is considered the biggest ICT trade show of Asia, attracting more than 40K global visitors annually. This is a great opportunity for startups to network and gain potential business connections.
The most exciting news is that this year InnoVEX is giving away 420,000 USD worth of prize pool through the pitch contest. The InnoVEX 2019 pitch contest is open since October 2018 and hoping to attract outstanding startups and match them with global opportunities and take home 30K USD of the grand prize.
2018 pitch contest had attracted 101+ startups from 18+ countries and almost 43% of them were from international startup groups. Since then the event has gained international recognition by having 17+ venture capitalists as the judges for the pitch contest event.
Startups can participate in various categories like AI, Big data, AR/VR/MR, 5G applications, consumer tech, Fintech, blockchain, e-commerce, enterprise software, green tech, IoT/Hardware, and Health/Biotech.
Grand prize InnoVEX Taiwan Tech Award includes a cash prize of USD 30,000, provided by Taiwan Tech Area, offering the final winning team 1-year free stationing in their working space (valued at 20,000 USD), plus the winning team is offered to join TTA/TIEC training programs (value at 50,000 USD).
Additional there will be special prizes given at the InnoVEX Pitch Contest from Taiwania Capital, Linkou Startup Terrace, and Qualcomm Incorporated.
Special awards for the upcoming pitch contest include
Taiwania Capital Innovation Award
Taiwania Capital Management Corporation will select one winner from teams participating in the Pitch Contest. The winner will receive 10,000 USD. The criteria for this award are for startups with innovative technologies and international competitiveness, the award is specifically aiming towards IoT or bio-medical related teams as the first priority, but other startups with promising technology will also be considered.
Startup Terrace Award
One of the sponsors for the InnoVEX Pitch Contest is Startup Terrace, an international startup campus under the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Situated in Linkou, New Taipei City; Startup Terrace is near Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei City Center.
In addition, Startup Terrace is also near multiple resources vital to startups; such as offices, exhibition area, social lounge, maker lab, and more. Especially for startups in experimental education, the Startup Terrace is also near to a demonstration school for experimental education converted from Linkou Junior High School and Linkou Senior High School.
The startup should be able to station in Startup Terrace for one year and collaborate with Taiwanese enterprises before the end of stationing. Teams fail to do so will result in disqualification of winning the award and the prize money.
Maximum 5 winning teams will receive 60,000USD each and subsidies for stationing in Startup Terrace, among the 5 prizes, 1 is “JIC Award”, aiming to be given to 1 team that use AWS cloud service for their core product or service, if no suitable teams, prizes will not be awarded. (Teams interested in registering for the Startup Terrace Award or JIC Award must comply with the Startup Terrace Award agreement, by selecting the box in order to participate)
Qualcomm Innovation Award
Qualcomm will select one winner from teams participating in the Pitch Contest. The winner will receive US$10,000. The criteria for this award are for startups with innovative technologies and international competitiveness, and those in AI & Big Data, AR/VR/XR, Hardware and IoT, 5G Applications are as the first priority. Other startups with promising technology will also be considered.
After a wonderful growth in 2018, InnoVEX will move to a new exhibition venue to accommodate more startups, investors, industry representatives, and events. InnoVEX 2019 will be held in TWTC Hall 1 and will feature Theme Pavilions of AI, Blockchain, Biotech & Healthcare, 5G, and Greentech.
With more interest in InnoVEX generated around the world, startups who join the pitch contest can most certainly gain more than just the cash prize, but also investment opportunities, exposure, fame, and more.
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