Pioneers500 is a support program for innovative early-stage startups with future technologies in the making. 500 carefully selected startups will be granted free access to an invitation-only Pioneers Festival and a chance for one-on-one mentoring. The application period for Pioneers500 is open now.
Early-stage tech startups, here’s something interesting for you! Have you heard of the Pioneers Community? It’s an exclusive community of some 2500 tech pioneers with entrepreneurs, executives, investors and international media as its members. Every year Pioneers, the company behind the community, organizes a top-rate Pioneers Festival in Vienna, where the most innovative early-stage startups join to meet and match. Pioneers Festival aims at bringing a diverse group of the smartest startups, thinkers and investors into the same location with a focus on quality over quantity. That’s why they handpick all their participants maximizing your chances to meet the right business partners and create valuable relationships. This year the event takes place May 24 – 25.
The reason for you to be interested is that Pioneers also runs the Pioneers500, a support program for inspired early-stage tech startups. Pioneers grants access to the Pioneers Festival and fully covers all the event fees (tickets) for the 500 most promising startups selected for the program in cooperation with the global tech community. You need to apply for the Pioneers500, and if you get accepted, you’ll receive two tickets to the Pioneers Festivals, a chance to build relationships with its exclusive community of tech innovators, earn additional mentoring from investors and corporations around and a possibility for some media exposure.
Out of the chosen 500 startups a jury will nominate the most outstanding 70 teams, which qualify for the Pioneers Challenge. These teams will receive 3 weeks of valuable online mentoring by Pioneers Ventures, helping to fine-tune their pitch at the Mentors Day (May 22) and an opportunity to showcase their business to 300 international investors at the Challenge Day (May 23).
And here’s something more; Pioneers is eagerly looking for more applications from the North. Tim Röhrich, the Managing Director of Pioneers Festival, encourages Finnish startups to apply:
“Pioneers500 is a unique opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs as it gives direct access to a juried community of international investors, corporates and media. We see a lot of talent and outstanding technologies coming from Finland and want to support and empower them to the fullest in building meaningful business relationships that will make their business thrive.”
So, tickets to an exclusive tech event with guaranteed quality of participants, innovations and ideas flying around, and a chance to get mentoring along the way. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, don’t you think? Then take a look at the Pioneers500 website and apply for the program today. Deadline for applications is 30 March 2016. Get ready to take your innovation a step further!
Check out the best of Pioneers Festival 2015 from video below.