The European startup ecosystem has birthed some real beauties. Thanks to our dual home in the UK and France, we’ve got a pretty eagle-eyed view of it at Maddyness. And, despite a turbulent year, there is much to look forward to as the continent sets its sights on levelling up with the US and Asia.
According to last week’s Tech Nation report, the UK’s tech startups and scaleups are collectively worth over $500B, with hubs in Germany, France, Israel and Sweden also generating innovation to take note of.
Amidst all the online-first hype, we should also be doubling down on the value of hardware. Making and marketing physical products can be tough – what with the complexities of supply chains to contend with – but this shouldn’t be a reason to shy away.
Additional help is at hand from Amazon Launchpad. Offering cash and strategic support, the Amazon Launchpad Innovation Awards were designed to shape and promote top physical product startups. This month the Awards launched in Europe for the first time – and if you’re a hardware founder, you’ve got a week left to enter.
A judging panel will select the top five most innovative startups across Europe from a shortlist of 20 finalists. The five finalists will each win a €10,000 grant, free access to Amazon Launchpad for one year, marketing placements, and the ‘Startup of the Year’ will receive an additional €90,000 grant.
The panel is made up of five big names in the industry: Andy Fishburn, Managing Director Virgin Start-up; Greg Williams, Editor-in-chief of Wired UK; Jamie Siminoff, CEO of Ring; Aditi Singh, General Manager of Amazon Launchpad Europe; and Ryan Frank, Head of Marketplace of Amazon in Spain.
The experts will consider the aesthetic, design, uniqueness and differentiation of participating products – as well as their social, ecological and economical sustainability. Entries are welcome across all product categories, from consumer electronics and homeware to grocery and industry.
“Innovation is part of our culture”, said Xavier Flamand, Director of Amazon’s EU Seller Services.
“These awards demonstrate both our commitment to supporting emerging brands and how we love to delight our customers with new and innovative products.”
Amazon Launchpad has helped over 2,000 startups in Europe, and yours could be next.
Apply by March 28th for the chance to win up to €100,000.
