We first saw of Seedstars back in 2015 when they were all set to launch in Colombo. In case you’re lost, Seedstars is by far the largest startup competition for emerging markets. Based in Switzerland, Seedstars promotes, connects and invests up to $ 1 Million in startups in emerging markets. Held successfully for 3 years, Seedstars Colombo 2018 will take place on the 25th of October 2018.
Welcome to Seedstars Colombo 2018
The winner of Seedstars Colombo 2018
The years 2016 and 2017 saw a number of interesting startups on stage at Seedstars Colombo. Once again, thanks to the collective efforts of ICTA, Exetel, Hatch Works, Hemas, SLASSCOM, and Startup Sri Lanka, we are gearing up for Seedstars Colombo 2018.
Applying for Seedstars Colombo 2018
In order to be eligible to pitch at Seedstars Colombo 2018, prospective startups would have to be less than two years old. Further, they would have to have raised less than USD 500k in funding and they should also have a minimum viable product, ideally with existing traction. As an additional criterion, the startup’s regional and global scalability will also be judged.
The application deadline is on the 18th of October 2018 (Image Credits: ODB)
The deadline for applicants to send in their applications is the 18th of October 2018. All applications will be screened thoroughly and the Seedstars team will shortlist eight of the best Sri Lankan seed-stage startups. These startups will go on to pitch on the 25th of October for the chance to take part at the Seedstars Summit which would take place in Switzerland.
Prepping for Seedstars Colombo 2018
Startups selected for Seedstars Colombo 2018 can get one-on-one mentoring (Image Credits: SaultOnline
In addition to the pitching event, the 8 selected startups will take part in a bootcamp session on the 23rd of October 2018. Here, they will be involved in 1-on-1 meetings with 9 local mentors. They are:
- Ahamed Nishadh – Project Manager at ICTA
- Mangala Karunaratne – Founder & CEO at Calcey Technologies
- Aloka Gunasekara – Program Manager at StartupX Foundry
- Yusra Aziz-Eliyas – Founder/Owner at PODI JOBS
- Joey Perera – Founder and CEO of Boost Metrics (Pvt) Ltd
- Chalinda Abeykoon – CEO at Crowdisland
- Chim Himidumage – Founder at Radical Ledger Technologies
- Mudith Uswatta – Director – Sales and Product Marketing at Calcey Technologies
- Giovanni Corradini – Associate for Asia at Seedstars
Making your pitch at Seedstars Colombo 2018
Startups making their pitch at Seedstars Colombo 2018 will also have a few guidelines to follow. For starters, each startup will be given 3 minutes to make their pitch in English. The pitch will be made to a panel of local startup experts. This will be followed by a five-minute Q&A session.
The stage is yours, for 3 minutes, that is.
The jury panel that will help Seedstars select the most promising startup in Colombo will be formed by Mangala Karunaratne (Founder & CEO at Calcey Technologies), Jeevan Gnanam (Co-Founder at Hatch), Sachindra Samararatne (Program Manager at ICTA), Jayomi Lokuliyana (Co-Founder and CEO at zMessenger), and Gabriela Fernandez Scala (Associate for Asia at Seedstars).
Being a part for Seedstars Colombo 2018
If you would like to be a part of Seedstars Colombo 2018, you can register by clicking here. If you cannot make it for the pitching event, don’t worry. Just stay tuned to our Instagram and Twitter feeds and we’ll keep you updated.
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