ENRICH in the USA Announces Winners of CES 2021 All-Digital Funding Summit
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PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The European American Enterprise Council (EAEC) and Temple University are pleased to announce the winners of the ENRICH in the USA CES 2021 All-Digital Funding Summit.

The featured pitch categories included TechforCity; TechforHealth; and TechforBiz. The top winners (a total of 30 global startups participated following a strict selection process) in each category received US$500; the top three companies in each category also received access to US$200,000 of transatlantic support and soft-landing services and direct applications to the ENRICH in the USA incubation joint programs at leading universities (one-year minimum). These universities included George Mason University (VA); Temple University (PA); Cal Poly University (CA); Purdue University (IN).

The winners for each category include (listed 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place):

TechforCity:
  • Geckomatics (Flanders, Belgium): Builds mobile mapping systems powered by machine learning to identify objects and position them accurately. The company's cameras can be attached to any land-based or water-based vehicle. Users can also choose the types of objects to inspect and access a digital map anytime.
  • Bettair Cities (Catalonia, Spain): Permits the mapping of urban air pollution and provides insights on how to mitigate air pollution.
  • Securaxis (Switzerland): Combines acoustic signal processing with deep learning and data science to turn sounds into information and actionable insights. The company's software technology has been deployed across Europe for applications such as traffic monitoring, intelligent lighting and noise measurement in real-time.

TechforHealth:
  • MJN (Catalonia, Spain): Dedicated to the design, manufacture, and marketing of medical devices to improve the quality of life of people. The company's first device is a helmet used to measure the risk of epileptic seizures and continuously record the data.
  • SurgeonsLab (Switzerland): Aims to facilitate test, train, plan interventions and improve patient safety using high-end technology as an alternative to human and animal models.
  • Rheo Diagnostics (Catalonia, Spain): RheoDX is an inexpensive medical device that monitors blood cells conditions to improve the quality of life of hematology patients.

TechforBiz:
  • Bodyguard (France): Protects individuals, families, and businesses in real-time from toxic online content. The software also helps protect against cyberstalking and online hate.
  • Experify (Switzerland): Connects potential consumers with people in their neighborhood who already own products they consider buying; users can get honest opinions and test products.
  • Typewise (Switzerland): The company's first product, Typewise Keyboard, is a next-generation keyboard designed specifically for two-thumb typing on smartphones.

"We are excited to recognize and celebrate this all-digital format; the selected companies evoke positive change through their technologies amid COVID-19; also, they all want to be connected with the US tech ecosystems and investment communities," said Sebastien Torre, president of San Francisco-based European American Enterprise Council. "I also want to thank my Global Village, Angel Launch, Invest EU, Enterprise Europe Network, Swiss Global Enterprise, and Berlin Partners for their great support and partnership. See you at our next virtual ENRICH in the USA Funding Summit at SXSW Online 2021!"

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Sylvain Jaccard, head of Swiss Global Enterprise, said "Switzerland was thrilled that 11 Swiss tech startups were selected for the final pitch session, four of which finished in the top nine. It was great to collaborate with ENRICH and my thanks to them for organizing such a quality event and enabling Swiss startups to be able to network with US investors."

Alba Quer, Tech Coordinator ICT Sector, Competitivitat de l'Empresa de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain, added "It is a constructive event for the startups because they get to pitch and receive feedback from the investor's panel. Beyond a possible investment, it is also interesting for the direct and indirect connections they make thanks to the investors."

Radhika Malik, Senior Investment Manager at Samsung Catalyst Fund in Menlo Park, CA, also added that "it was fantastic to see the high quality of startups that participated.  Many of the technologies and products presented were very innovative and the pitches were well prepared, leading to highly engaging discussions.  I look forward to seeing these entrepreneurs' journeys as they expand globally."

Howard Pakosh, Founder/CEO of Toronto-based TekStart, said "the ENRICH Funding Summit is always one of my yearly highlights.  In addition to the pitch competition, the event gathers experts and industry leaders with founders – all designed to connect entrepreneurs in a constructive way.  Sebastien and his team do a great job of organizing; thanks for having me participate!"

The speakers and judges (30) were well-known investors (from angel networks, early-stage venture capital firms, R1 university incubators and accelerators), as well as city, state and US/EU government representatives.

About ENRICH in the USA

Launched in April 2017, the mission of ENRICH (European Network of Research Innovation Centres and Hubs) in the USA (ENRICH in the USA) is to provide collaboration and commercialization support services to European researchers and innovators (from the EU and associated countries), and facilitate their access to university centric soft landing ecosystems, to maximize their chances of success in the United States.

Promoted by the European Commission through Horizon, the ENRICH network currently offers services to connect European research, technology, and business organizations with five global frontrunner markets for innovation & digital transformation: USA, China, Brazil, India, and Africa.

ENRICH in the USA is represented in the USA by the European American Enterprise Council (EAEC) and NCURA. Temple University SBDC  (at the Fox School of Business and Management), based in Philadelphia, PA, shall be the official lead representative organization of ENRICH in the USA, starting in March 2021.

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Maura Shenker, Director of the Temple University Small Business Development Center, said "Temple SBDC is proud to be supporting this incredible group of global entrepreneurs and we look forward to deepening our collaboration with ENRICH and the EAEC to offer more services and connections."

About European American Enterprise Council

The European American Enterprise Council (EAEC) is a private member-driven social enterprise and network (eight US and EU chapters). EAEC is part of the European Commission's Enterprise Europe Network (600+ organizations in Europe, and a worldwide presence), and aims at promoting transatlantic collaboration, trade and investment between European and North American companies, institutions and economic regions while fostering global innovation and entrepreneurship.

About Temple University, SBDC

The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) are the only statewide, nationally accredited program providing high quality, one-on-one consulting, training and information resources to empower new and existing businesses.  The SBDC program is a public/private partnership with the US Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and 16 universities and colleges across the Commonwealth. The Temple University SBDC is an outreach center of the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University that has been serving Philadelphia and the surrounding communities since 1983. Our highly trained and experienced staff is here to provide startup and small businesses with professional knowledge and assistance. Our mission is to help small businesses grow and succeed.

Media Contact:

Neal Leavitt
Leavitt Communications
(760) 639-2900
[email protected]

SOURCE ENRICH in the USA
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