The first winners of EIT Digital’s pan-European start-up contest Idea Challenge are selected. In the category Future Cloud the start-up Carbon Analytics from the UK won Gold, both Silver and Bronze go to teams from France: Tanker and Julie Desk.
As the first of a series of finals, which happen in eight different cities covering each a different trend tech topic, the event for the category Future Cloud took place in Rennes, France. 65 teams applied with innovative ideas how to shape the future of cloud computing. Eight start-ups were invited to pitch their ideas in front of an expert jury. The teams came from four different countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
Gold went to the English start-up Carbon Analytics that aims to simplify environmental measurement and make it accessible to all. CEO Michael Thornton was visibly happy about the award. His main goal is to use the prize money and the support by the EIT Digital ecosystem to enter the market as well as build up his team and develop advanced features for the clients. “The Idea Challenge award comes just at the right time to enable us to build on our momentum. The next steps are growing our sales team, finishing our integration with QuickBooks and partnering with more green service providers, “ he explained.
The winning teams will not only a receive a cash price but also get access to EIT Digital’s pan-European innovation network and international growth support through the EIT Digital Accelerator.
The three winners of the Idea Challenge in the category Future Cloud are:
First place 40,000 €: Carbon Analytics
Automated, full-scope environmental assessment for small businesses utilising innovative data and cloud infrastructure.
Second Place 25,000 €: Tanker
Tanker edits a strong endpoint cyber-security solution to secure small businesses' data and communications.
Third Place 15,000 €: Julie Desk
Julie Desk is an AI based scheduling assistant that schedules meetings and appointments by email like a real assistant.
