Startup Wise Guys and Startup Sauna join forces for TechChill Pitch Battle

With only a week left to apply for Pitch Battle at TechChill, Europe’s leading B2B accelerator Startup Wise Guys will join forces with the famous Helsinki-based accelerator Startup Sauna for Pitch Academy on February 9th. Both accelerators will bring in their own experience and top notch mentors for the one-day intensive bootcamp and mentoring sessions for 10 selected startups before 5 of them conquer the big stage of TechChill and compete for a paid trip to Silicon Valley to meet investors.

Applications are open until January 15: ej.uz/tcpitchbattle

The 10 selected teams will be announced on January 19^th.

Pitch Academy is an intensive one-day event with mentoring sessions, feedback on business model and pitch training for 10 best applicants to TechChill Pitch Battle. Startup Wise Guys and Startup Sauna are bringing top mentors from their accelerator program that have already been tested in programs and proven to bring great value to startups: Max Gurvits, hustler and investor, currently director for CEE, CIS, and MENA at Cross Border Angels, Felipe Millan, Developer Evangelist and Technical Advisor at SendGrid, Merlin Salvik, practicing lawyer for more than 10 years and partner at Hedman Partners Law Office, Chris Kobylecki, CMO at Innovation Nest, fund that invest in early to Series A stage B2B technology companies with global focus, as well as Mike Bradshaw, a legendary pitch coach as well as the new Head Coach of Startup Sauna.

At the end of Pitch Academy, startups will participate in semi-finals, and a professional jury will decide on the five best teams to get on the main stage next day during TechChill Pitch Battle. All semi-finalists will get access to benefits from Accelerate Program from SendGrid.

TechChill Pitch Battle participants on February 10 will compete for the following prizes:

• a fully paid trip to Silicon Valley, with a full agenda and meetings with selected investors and free stay at Startup Embassy, the oldest entrepreneurial residence located in Palo Alto;
• 3 tickets for this year’s edition of SLUSH;
• a “fast track” to semi-finals of next Startup Wise Guys program (Tallinn, spring 2017);
• a “fast track” to semi-finals of next Startup Sauna program (Helsinki, spring 2017);
• a “fast track” to semi-finals of next Axel Springer Plug and Play accelerator program (Berlin, spring 2017).

“If you compare corporate and startup worlds, one of the major differences is attitude towards competitors and collaboration. At our accelerator we always teach startups the value of partnership and creating network that works together. We practice what we preach, thus joining forces with our nordic neighbour Startup Sauna makes perfect sense and gives double the force to provide awesome bootcamp for 10 startups from the region. Really looking forward to February 9th,” says Cristobal Alonso, global CEO of Startup Wise Guys.

Both accelerators are urging startups not to miss the chance to shine in front of an audience that will include mentors, industry experts, and also more than 30 confirmed business angels from the Baltics looking for their next investment.

About TechChill

For two chilly days in February 9-10, an energetic crowd of founders, entrepreneurs and techies gather in Riga, the heart of the Baltics. Over the years, TechChill has grown from a small meetup of like-minded geeks to a regional meeting place of promising ideas and meaningful connections, with the air of the party like nowhere else in the world. This year’s agenda will focus on the experiences and insights at the core of startup life, the Human Side of Tech, with speakers that range from promising startups with passionate ideas to experienced entrepreneurs. Get your 2-day pass: techchill.co

About Startup Wise Guys

Startup Wise Guys is the leading B2B startup accelerator in Europe that until now has accelerated 60 companies with founders from over 30 countries and have completed 7 cohorts, 6 in Tallinn and one in Riga, Latvia under the name Startup Wise Guys Riga powered by Lattelecom. Currently applications are open for the next accelerator program to take place in Tallinn, in spring 2017. Startup Wise Guys portfolio includes companies like VitalFields that has been acquired by large US corporation, as well as Sorry as a Service, Leaf.fm, Investly, SportID and others. Besides extensive and experienced alumni network, Startup Wise Guys also have a large family of more than 150 mentors, investors and partners from all over the world. More information: startupwiseguys.com

About Startup Sauna

Startup Sauna is an accelerator for top-notch tech teams focusing on finding the right product-market fit and go-to-market strategy. Startup Sauna runs a 5-week accelerator program in Helsinki, takes no equity and the program is free. Teams can select from a grant of 1000€ or free accommodation during the program. Startup Sauna has been around since 2010 and are the leading accelerator in the Nordics, Baltics, Eastern Europe and Russia. More information: startupsauna.com.

Startup Wise Guys contacts:

Zane Bojare

CMO @Startup Wise Guys

Email: zane@startupwiseguys.com

Mobile: +371 29706733

Startup Sauna contacts:

Karolina Miller

CMO @Startup Sauna

Email: karolina@startupsauna.com

TechChill contacts:

L?va P?rkone
TechChill Communications

E-mail: liva@techchill.co

Mobile: +371 27137307

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