EDGE196- Virtual event aimed at celebrating startups

Asia Fintech and Blockchain Startup Competition takes place from October 19 until December 4, 2020. It is a virtual startup pitch event. The finalists will be announced on December 15. We spoke to Masha Prusakova, one of the team coordinators, about the event and what can be expected from it.

We began the conversation by speaking of the inspiration behind the event, and what it aims to achieve

“EDGE196 has been organizing startup competitions and hackathons since 2017. The Asia Startup Competition is part of the Global Startup Competition Events Series.

EDGE196 aims to develop the startup ecosystems in all 48 Asian countries giving an opportunity to business-minded individuals to reach their startup dreams.

The objective is to identify the next generation of startups leading the transformation of the fintech and blockchain industries.

We target entrepreneurs in developed countries and also in lesser-known countries where entrepreneurship is only at its inception.

We want to support startup ecosystems in Laos, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, and alike to give an equal chance to everyone to build their companies”, said Jay Patel, the founder, and CEO of EDGE196.

Jay Patel added that “while technology is leading everyday lives in China, Singapore, HK or Japan, 40 million Asian workers abroad are still struggling to remit money to their families in Asia.”

In fact, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The core problem, lack of access to capital to build fintech infrastructure, is a much bigger problem that EDGE196 is trying to solve.

“We look forward to this competition and the opportunity it brings to the Asian fintech and blockchain ecosystems,” said Jay Patel.

We moved on to speak of the different opportunities that are available for those attending:

“The winning teams of Asia Blockchain and Fintech Startup Competition will receive between $25,000 and $200,000 in equity investment and will be invited to become part of the EDGE196 incubator in Houston, Texas.

During the 6 week program the startups will be mentored, evaluated, and considered for an additional investment of up to $1,000,000”.

We then spoke of who would be speaking, and how those attending could get the most out of the experience:

It is a startup pitch event. Founders will pitch investors on a virtual stage. To submit a pitch deck, and describe your motivation to get investment from EDGE196.

Before we finished, Masha went through the criteria of eligibility:

• Startups working on innovative solutions related to Blockchain and/or Fintech technology.
• Companies that are less than 5 years old.
• Offering innovative, technologically advanced, and scalable products and services.
• Showing initial signs of traction.

Individuals cannot be members of more than one team of applicants. Startups can be from any country in the world but should be relevant to Asia”.

Link to the event: https://www.edge196.com//startup-competition-asia

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