Presenting Innovate!Europe 2008
Last Monday, the new, reviewed format of Innovate!Europe was presented at Instituto de Empresa. You might already know that the Innovate!Europe is the European version of the hugely successful Demo event, the launchpad for emerging technologies in America, and that it has been organised yearly in Zaragoza since 2005. The past three editions seemed like a copy of the American version brought to this side of the Atlantic (we participated in the 2006 edition and know it from inside). I do believe it was an excellent event, worth participating, but there was something that did not quite fit in. Well, now the organizers have learned the lessons and are trying a new approach.
The main differences from the previous versions are:
- A three stage program, instead of a one-time event
- A national first stage followed by a pan-European second and third stages. In my opinion this is a wise move, and it shows that the organizers have assessed the fact that Europe is not a single and unified entity but a loose union of different markets
- A focus on training and mentoring, instead of showcasing, Another wise move in my opinion. From my past experience in this event, the best you could get was the reviews from experts; showcasing was only the completion of the training
- The first stage is free of charge. Again, another wise decision. When you are a startup and want to participate here you want to spend as few as possible. Paying 2-3K€ upfront is not an easy decision. If you find the first stage worth the time, then you can consider paying for the second stage
- Now there is a prize: the most promising company among the 100 participants from the whole Europe will have the opportunity to spend three months of mentored stay in Silicon Valley
There are still a few things that remain to prove to be the right approach but so far it looks really promising. As soon as I find some time I will apply to participate again (this time as eBox instead of Warp). Let’s see what happens…
