Delegates get together in the Start-Up Games at Hackney House
The Olympics are over … long live the Paralympics. And this week the summer-long celebration of sporting endeavour and enterprise at Hackney House in Shoreditch continues. As ever, the journalists from City University London are there to record everything that’s happening. At the heart of things is the Start-Up Games. This is what it’s all about.
UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI’s)Tech City Investment Organisation(TCIO) has thrown out an invitation tothe world’s most talented entrepreneurs and brightest start-ups to London for three days of intense training and competition, and the chance to be recognised as an international start-up champion at the first ever Start-Up Games. Applications are now open, and just 300 people from start-up teams representing the highest-performing, highest-potential companies will be invited to participate.
Taking place from August 29-31 at Hackney House in the heart of London’s Tech City during the 2012 Paralympic Games, competitors will be put through their paces as they compete in categories including product development, protecting IP, brand, marketing & sales, and business development. Throughout the three days participants will hear from top UK entrepreneurs and digital leaders such as Dan Crow, CTO, Songkick; Paul Birch, Co-Founder of Bebo; Gerald Walker, Head of Bloomberg Ventures UK; Georg Ell, General Manager EMEA at Yammer; and Debu Purkayastha, Principal, New Business Development at Google.
Initial applications to compete in the StartUp Games will be judged by a panel of experts from UKTI on criteria including the stage of the business, ability to articulate competitive differentiation and a summary of the company’s business plan. Successful applicants will be invited to the Games, with the qualifying rounds commencing on August 29th. Seven “Torch Bearers”, representing the most compelling initial applications, will be selected to co-host sessions during the next day’s competitions. Throughout the Games, competitors will participate in business-focused and collaborative sessions, and participate in specialised training sessions. On the last day of competition, category winners and an overall champion will be announced. Watch this space.
'Digital City Daily' @HackneyHouse 