Indian startups get a ticket to go global with Tech Rocketship Awards 2018
The fourth edition of Tech Rocketship Awards aims to find India’s brightest tech talent. The chosen startups will receive access to British expertise, and a chance to pitch to potential investors.
British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith recently announced the fourth edition of Tech Rocketship Awards to an audience of entrepreneurs, startups, venture capitalists and a judging panel. The awards aim at fostering innovation, technology and collaboration between universities, startups and industry leaders in India and the UK.
An initiative of the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), the awards have seen endorsement from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, British Prime Minister Theresa May and some of biggest names in Indian business.
At the launch, Sir Dominic said, “The UK’s position as a home-from-home for Indian tech companies is as strong as ever. Nearly a third of all Indian investment into the UK is in tech and telecommunications and we are fully committed to supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his vision for Startup India. The UK is open for business and, through the Tech Rocketship Awards, we are looking to help the next batch of leading young Indian entrepreneurs scale up and go global via the UK.”
“The awards provide an excellent platform for Indian SMEs to grow their business overseas by using the UK as a springboard. We wish the competitors the very best!”
The awards are being delivered with assistance from Indian Angel Network, alongside a number of other delivery partners including Startupbootcamp, T-Hub, TiE Delhi and Deloitte, among others.
TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman of Manipal Global Education, said, “The Tech Rocketship Awards have supported India’s high-growth tech companies year-on-year to get access to the UK’s world-class tech ecosystem. The awards give a platform to young Indian entrepreneurs and businesses to springboard their business internationally. The winners get an opportunity to pitch before Indian and British VCs, and winners from previous years have already landed great offers in the UK. I am excited to be associated with the awards and wish the applicants the very best.”
What’s in store this year?
Launched on October 27, 2017, applications for the fourth edition are open to Indian tech entrepreneurs aged under 40 years and who have been operating a company created from the year 2000 onwards. The competition will close on the midnight of December 9, 2017.
The 2017-18 Tech Rocketship Awards will provide an impetus to India’s rising tech stars wanting to scale up, go global and access capital. It offers seven prize packages to the UK and winners will receive tailored packages to help them achieve international ambitions of growth with a fully paid-for business development and partnership programme. The winners’ trip to the UK will include opportunities to pitch to UK Venture Capitalists, a programme at London Tech Week; curated partnerships with established UK companies like Harper Adams University and Sensor City; and exposure to the UK’s thriving tech ecosystem, financial services and R&D opportunities. They will also get a chance to spend quality time with companies across the UK.
This year’s six award categories – Fintech, Medtech, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing & Data Analytics, Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence – reflect some of the areas of greatest potential in terms of opportunity and demand in the UK and India. There is also an additional spot under the ‘Judges award for Creativity’.
The awards will be judged by significant Indian entrepreneurs and thought leaders like Indian Angel Network (IAN) Founder Saurabh Srivastava, Biocon Chairman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Digital India Foundation Head Arvind Gupta, NASSCOM Chairman Raman Roy, fintech entrepreneur Alok Vajpeyi and YourStory founder Shradha Sharma along with investors like IDG Ventures and SIDBI Ventures.
IAN Founder Saurabh Srivastava said: “The UK government’s vision to support Indian tech SMEs and startups is completely aligned with ours. I am delighted to be a part of this programme that helps create wealth for entrepreneurs and investors, drives economic growth in the region and builds another track of early stage ventures between India and UK. This platform not only provides an opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs to network and identify trade opportunities, but also gives UK-based investors an access to the pool of India’s most innovative businesses.”
Highlights from last year’s edition
In the third edition of Tech Rocketship Awards held between January 29 and 3 February, 2017, of the 10,000 companies that participated from different parts of the country only 10 startups won a trip to the UK. Six hundred companies were shortlisted in the first phase and 35 entered the pre-finals.
The winners included video-based talent exchange platform Talocity, BendFlex Research and Development Private Limited, Cashkumar (Venture of Etyacol Technologies Pvt Ltd), Get My Parking, Promethean Energy Pvt Ltd, QuizWorks, RepUp, Greenlit India Opto Electronics Pvt Ltd, Planet Superheroes and Paratus Knowledge Ventures.
The other initiatives
Continuing the buzz around Tech Rocketship Awards 2017-2018, DIT India has also announced the launch of Future TECH Month for November 2017. The initiative will include a month-long series of technology-focused business activities in both countries, taking more than 60 Indian companies in 10 sectors on a tour of business hubs in the UK.
Website: Tech Rocketship Awards 2017-2018