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Startups4Peace 2018 successfully concluding

12/12/2018 11:33

Startups4Peace KONE Elevator Pitch Battle was the grand final competition that chose the program’s winning teams

The Startups4Peace is successfully concluding its fifth year. The Startups4Peace KONE Elevator Pitch Battle that took place on Thursday November 22nd at the Goethe-Institut in Nicosia, marked the end of the acceleration program of this year’s program.

The six finalist startups had five (5’) minutes each to present their business idea and model and compete for the two winning positions. They jury was made up of Stavriana Kofteros (Startup Cyprus), Michalis Tyrimos (serial entrepreneur), Gunperi Sisman and Natalia Demetriou (Startups4Peace 2016 and 2017 winners), business angel Tunc Yalgin (Startup Cyprus) and entrepreneur Demetris Hadjisofoklis.

Pitch Battle winners were Donti and Colive Oil that get the opportunity to participate in Slush one of the biggest European startup events, in Helsinki Finland on December 4-5, all expenses covered by Startup4Peace.

During the Startups4Peace program all the teams had the opportunity to go through a highly intensive training program with experts from Finland and receive support from the Starutps4Peace mentors to develop their idea into a viable, scaling business.

Speaking at the event, H.E. the Ambassador of Finland in Cyprus thanked the Startups4Peace participants and everyone attending the Pitch Battle and underlined the reason why the Embassy of Finland initiated the program four years ago. “This is a new way to contribute to the reconciliation between the two communities of the Island, and to bring synergies in an educational, inspirational manner. We, of course very much hope, that this program would be one small step in paving the way for the better future in re-united, federal Cyprus” Mr. Timo Heino remarked.

“Through Startups4Peace we want to focus and encourage startup entrepreneurship in Cyprus and the support of the EU to the program is a step in promoting it. Our new project on "Innovative Entrepreneurship" is in the pipeline and will be on the ground in the beginning of 2019 and we expect it to further augment the efforts and equip young entrepreneurs with the necessary skills” Mr.  Arttu Makipaa, Head of Cooperation, European Commission remarked in his address.

Startups4Peace is organized by the Finnish Embassy in Cyprus and Startup Cyprus with the support of EU Infopoint project, funded by the European Union and in co-operation with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce. The venue for the Masterclasses is sponsored by the Goethe-Institut.

Startups4Peace

The main target of Startups4Peace is to bring together people with entrepreneurship ideas, from both communities in Cyprus.

The aim of the program is to encourage innovative ideas with a bicommunal vision and to increase the contact between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot Startup communities by supporting young entrepreneurs.

Contact Details:

Tel: +357 22 458 020 Embassy of Finland in Cyprus