With the deadline for submissions for the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) having come to a close, from several dozens of Latvian businesses, 5 of the most promising ones have been selected and on 25 August these will compete in the second Latvian National Finals of the EWC where they will present their business idea to the jury on live TV.
Businesses that applied to participate in the EWC represent various sectors of business – from food production to recycling of sorted materials and reuse of resources. Applications have also been received from 3D printing technology, data accumulation, processing and maintenance, biotechnology and nanotechnology research, car rental companies, as well as social businesses. The applications submitted were examined by a jury consisting of representatives from Swedbank, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, TechChill and Riga TechGirls.
“Five ambitious Latvian businesses will gain invaluable experience presenting their business idea at the Latvian National Finals of the Entrepreneurship World Cup. The winner of the National Finals will present their business idea to an international jury and compete for international visibility, as well as a substantial prize fund. Thank you to everyone who submitted an application. I wish all the finalists success in presenting their business idea, while for the jury – I wish them to find the best business with the most prospects for international success,” says Jevgenijs Ivanovs, Acting Head of the Corporate Customer Division at Swedbank.
5 Latvian businesses that will compete at the Latvian National Finals
Longenesis – a health technologies start-up from Riga, which significantly expedites clinical studies done by the pharmaceutical industry whilst also ensuring secure and transparent patient data processing.
My3D.Cloud – founded in Liepāja, the company has created a digital construction platform providing its customers with the opportunity to work with 3D data online without specialised software and to access the global digital construction market.
Naco Technologies – a start-up from Riga working with “green” hydrogen by developing nano-coating to ensure durability of hydrogen producing and consuming equipment, its sustainability and to significantly reduce dependence on use of precious materials.
OX DRIVE – the first TESLA car-sharing platform in Latvia which plans to provide car-sharing services in Riga and Jūrmala with at least 130 TESLA brand cars by the end of this year.
Uniscopia Group – a Riga-based company which has developed an e-commerce platform “Printscopia” providing its customers with the opportunity to purchase various products created with 3D technology, as well as to order various 3D products to be produced.
National Finals on live TV and social networks
In order to efficiently to prepare for the National Finals and a successful international competition, all 5 finalists will receive training and valuable advice free of charge to help them prepare their presentations and speeches. The National Finals will take place on 25 August at 19:00 o’clock and will be broadcast live on television, as well as on the social network accounts of Swedbank and other partners. A popular vote will also be held during the live broadcast resulting in one of the finalists receiving a special “Viewer’s Favourite” award.
The winner of the Latvian National Finals will compete for a place on the Top100 list of companies and the global finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as the chance to receive a paid ticket to an international conference for developing and expanding their business idea.
About the Entrepreneurship World Cup
Swedbank is the representative of the Global Entrepreneurship Network in Latvia since October 2020. This representative position comes with the unique right to organize, for the second time already, the EWC national finals in Latvia which is the world’s leading innovative entrepreneurship ecosystem and takes place in over 200 countries. The call to participate this year was extended to businesses founded and registered in Latvia as of 2016 with a turnover of up to EUR 5 million.