The London final on 21st October 2015 is sponsored and hosted by business advisory firm Deloitte who continue to drive tech enterprise innovation through the Fast 500 initiative and last year invested £25m in their own employees’ start-up ventures.
David Cobb, Innovation Tax Partner, Deloitte, comments: “Often working with limited resources, it can be difficult for start-ups to dedicate enough time and investment to research and development. Competitions such as this recognise the endeavour that early-stage businesses put into the development of new ideas and creating valuable intellectual property. Innovation is a fundamental component of economic growth. Deloitte is proud to support aspiring businesses in the UK and Europe as they aim to revolutionise their respective industries through innovation and entrepreneurship.”
DS15 is a unique opportunity to gain professional business insight and immediate feedback during the London final from highly experienced entrepreneurs, VCs and investment experts. Past winners and runners-up of Discovering Start-Ups include Chirp, MagicSolver Giftgaming and PLAYIR.
The current line-up of 30 judges for the finals includes the top VCs and entrepreneurs in technology. Past panels have included Anthony Tomlinson (Google), Zygmunt Lozinski (IBM), Miles Kirby (Qualcomm Ventures) and many more.
The five winners will each receive a prize fund that includes one year Founder membership with Cambridge Wireless, £500 cash prize courtesy of Qualcomm Ventures, a place on the SETsquared Entrepreneur Training Programme and the opportunity to pitch at the Future of Wireless International Conference 2016. Four of the winners will secure a place within the semi-finals of the Wayra Acceleration programme and one winner will be fast tracked straight to the finals. UK based winners will also receive one ticket to Mobile World Congress sponsored by UKTI with a pitching opportunity at the UKTI Start – Up Zone and one winner will have the chance to have a pod in the Four Years from Now Zone.