X-Europe programme concluded with a bang at TechChill 2022. More than 20 X-Europe startups took part in the event either by joining in person in Riga (Latvia) or remotely. Apart from active networking with investors, the startups were present also in the pitch competition and several stage agenda sessions.
People are thirsty for in-person interaction
TechChill 2022 was the first tech and startup event of the year in the Baltics and one of the first in-person events after the easing of covid-related restrictions. And people were eager to attend! So much so that the day before the event the tickets were sold out for the first time in TechChill's history. The event gathered 2400 in-person and 134 digital attendees, among them 260 investors and more than 670 startup representatives from 350+ startups. The attendees had the chance to join 20+ side events and to learn from 175 speakers on 3 stages. And most importantly - network.
X-Europe rocking the pitch competition
Fifty Founders Battle is TechChill's annual pitch competition. This year the competition received 212 applications from which only the top 50 companies were selected to pitch on the stage at TechChill 2022. Among the fifty selected startups were also four X-Europe portfolio startups - Nocturne (Cohort 1), BeeSage (Cohort 2), b-cube.ai (Cohort 3), and Mission Space (Cohort 5). While all startups did great, Mission Space proved to be the most successful by getting into the Top 5 and receiving a special prize of 1 ETH from Gravity Team.
Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to knowledge
X-Europe's involvement went way beyond the pitch competition as several of the startups got on the stage to share their knowledge, experience, and tips with the 2400 attendees. Melinda Havas from ff.next shared her thoughts on the fintech trends and the future of the industry in the EU. Ru Wikmann from BeeSage, Valentino Megale from Softcare Studios, and Charlotte Aschim from TotalCtrl shared their experience on the importance of storytelling in deeptech, while Ksenia Moskalenko from Mission Space argued on whether mindset or measurements are more important when talking about impact.
TechChill expands to Italy
Just minutes after the grand opening of TechChill 2022, it was announced that TechChill is expanding and will do another event in Milano, Italy. The Italian ecosystem is showing great growth and potential, but so far has lacked a flagship event to connect the local startup ecosystems, the event will aim to do just that and to bring both the Baltic knowledge and new capital to the region. The leader with boots on the ground in Italy is Andrea Orlando, the Managing Partner of Startup Wise Guys programs in Italy. With Startup Wise Guys being also one of the most active investors and ecosystem builders in the X-Europe programme we are excited to see this collaboration come to fruition. TechChill Milano (or TechChillano, a name heard around the TechChill 2022 venue) will take place from 27-29 September 2022 and tickets will be available soon on https://techchillmilano.co/
Meanwhile, TechChill 2023 will return on 23-24 February 2023 in Riga, Latvia, so keep your eyes and ears open.
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