The EIT Digital Challenge, the leading competition for European digital deep tech companies, is now accepting applications.
Fast-growing start-ups with existing customers - so called scaleups - are invited to apply in one of five thematic areas: Digital Tech, Digital Cities, Digital Industry, Digital Wellbeing and Digital Finance.
The best five companies will receive a full year of tailored support from the EIT Digital Accelerator team, worth €50,000. The application deadline is 19 September 2022.
"The EIT Digital Challenge aims to identify the best European deep tech entrepreneurs and help them scale up their businesses internationally, supporting the European deep tech ecosystem. We will select the top 20 companies and invite them to an exclusive closed-door event at the end of October where they will have the opportunity to pitch to a jury of high-profile corporates and investors," says Diva Tommei, Head of the EIT Digital Accelerator.
The five winners will get coached for investor readiness and then be introduced to top investors from a network of 1000+ VCs from all over Europe. They will also get market readiness coaching and strategic go-to-market support, facilitating access to international prospects.
In addition to that, the winners will gain access to EIT Digital's pan-European innovation network of 350+ partners and enjoy great international visibility by means of EIT Digital's network channels.
"When we took part in the Challenge, last year, we were really impressed by the level of the companies that we saw pitching. That made us even prouder of being selected as winners. Afterwards, the support of the EIT Digital Accelerator helped us promote and scaleup our technology at the international level, introducing us to other top European players," says Maxine Roper, CEO of Connecting Food, the company that won the 2021 edition.
Since its launch in 2014, the competition has attracted thousands of applications from more than 33 European countries. Many of the winning scaleups have moved on to become internationally successful companies.
Prominent award winners include KONUX, Medicus.AI, SidekickHealth and Connecting Food.
