The eSkills Alliance and the European Commission Representation in Malta are appealing to Maltese ICT and tech start-ups to grab this opportunity to establish themselves internationally.
This is a good platform for tech start-ups to pitch their business to entrepreneurs
The EU wants to boost entrepreneurship as part of its strategy to build its future economic and competitive strength. To push this strategy forward, the European Commission – Directorate-General responsible for Information Society and Media – is organising Tech All Stars, a competition for tech start-ups in Europe.
In Malta there are number of budding tech start-ups, some of which secured investments by proving themselves.
Individuals and ICT professionals thinking of starting a business are encouraged to be inquisitive and take risks – essential elements to innovation and entrepreneurship.
Students aspiring to excel in ICT and eventually become their own boss in a tech start-up have to take their academic or vocational formation seriously, to acquire the necessary knowledge and not be afraid of venturing a business idea forward. One should start slowly – a good way to assess whether an idea is pursuable is to create a blog and analyse the public’s reaction.
For start-ups to be successful in Malta, it is important to invest in support mechanisms that are available as props for the initial hurdles to commercialisethe idea.
The government and Microsoft Corporation have announced a strategic partnership for the next five years – one of the initiatives of this alliance is to establish a Microsoft Innovation Centre in Malta that will be the first on a global scale to focus on cloud computing.
The centre will offer different support services to start-ups, including technology resources, physical/infrastructural resources and business mentoring. Through the Microsoft Innovation Centre, ICT professionals and students can access expertise, training and promotional services.
The Tech All Stars competition is a good platform for promising tech start-ups to pitch their business to talented entrepreneurs, promote their brand name and venture concept, and provide entrepreneurs with valuable exposure to EU funding sources and potential investors.
“This competition is reflective of the EU’s policy emphasis on economic growth fuelled by technology,” says Fabianne Ruggier, executive secretary of the eSkills Alliance.
“If you’re a new small ICT business venture and have an original and promising offering, Tech All Stars could be a stepping stone to bigger market shares and business partners.”
The 12 Tech All Stars – selected from the registered start-ups across Europe – will be invited to an all-expense-paid trip to London, including flights, accommodation and meals.
The trip includes a complimentary ticket to LeWeb London.
The tech start-ups will gain maximumexposure and will have the opportunity to be part of the hottest networking events, rubbing shoulders with investors and successful start-ups.
The top three start-ups will be invited to pitch at the talent track of the Founders Forum, which is an exclusive event with past attendees including people like Reid Hoffman, CEO of Linkedin (who is also an angel investor), and other influential entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson (Virgin companies) and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook).
The overall winner start-up will be given the chance to participate at the Digital Agenda Assembly in Brussels in June.
To take part, participating tech start-upsneed to be registered within the EU andkeen to do something different. Theirstart-up must be less than three years oldand have raised less than one million euros inexternal capital.
The application process will close on May 15, and the 12 companies will be selected in June.
For more information on Tech All Stars, visit http://techallstars.eu/ . To apply, visit www.f6s.com/techallstarsapply#programs/ajax-application.
For more information, e-mail eskillsalliance.mita@gov.mt or visit http://ec.europa.eu/malta/tech_all_stars_en.htm .