Applications open for EIT Digital Champions Competition

Deadline: 2 December 2024

The EIT Digital welcomes applications for its Champions Competition from scaleups that need fundraising support.

In this 12th edition, they will select 50 finalists to pitch their companies to their jury of international investors. The winners, the Champions, will receive one year of tailored fundraising support from their Growth Services team.

The EIT Digital Champions aims to identify the best European deep tech entrepreneurs and help them scale up internationally, supporting the European innovation ecosystem.

Thematic Areas

They are looking for scaleups leveraging digital technologies that are applicable to one of the five thematic areas:
- Digital Tech: Inventing the digital future with core technologies providing secure, robust, responsive and intelligent communications and computation.
  - Keywords: Connectivity, Cyber Security and Privacy, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Digital ID Management, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Authentication, Biometrics, User Behaviour Analytics.
- Digital Cities: Serving the cities with digital technologies addression urban mobility, citizen inclusiveness and engagement, and city safety.
  - Keywords: Smart City, Smart Mobility, Safety & Security, Urban Development, Autonomous Driving, Citizen Services, Citizen Participation, Environmental Management, Energy Management, Sustainability.
- Digital Industry: The digital transformation of the industry, from production to logistics to retail.
  - Keywords: Smart Manufacturing, Predictive Maintenance, Industry 4.0, Energy Efficiency, Resource and Asset Management, Retail, Logistics, Customer Experience, Supply Chain Management, Image Recognition, Advanced Materials.
- Digital Wellbeing: Safeguarding health for the youth, the working professional and the elderly by analysing sensor data.
  - Keywords: Wellbeing at Work, Self Monitoring, Prevention, Early Detection, Assisted Living, Occupational and Personal Health, Rehab, Mental and Physical Impairment Support, Coping with Chronic Diseases.
- Digital Finance: The disruption of digital transactions and institutions with technologies that allow transparency, efficiency, security and trust.
  - Keywords: Banking, FinTech, Payments, Insurtech, Wealth/Asset Management, Cyber Security, Big Data, Mobile Banking.

Benefits

Up to 20 companies will receive a full year of tailored international growth support by the EIT Digital Growth Services worth €50,000 to scale up their business. Their team of experienced fundraising specialists will support you in securing your financing round. They will communicate your success and share your story through their powerful on – and offline channels and leading European media outlets, generating valuable international exposure for your business.

Eligibility Criteria

The EIT Digital Champions invites all fast-growing digital scaleups in Europe that need fundraising support to submit an application describing their company and its innovative product or service. The scaleups must be legally incorporated in a country of the European Union (EU 27) or Horizon Europe associated country to be eligible.
In addition, the scaleups must meet the following criteria:
- must have an innovative digital product or service;
- must be less than 10 years old (incorporated after 01/01/2015);
- must be in a growth stage and be ready to raise Series A financing:
  - minimum revenue of EUR 500,000 in 2024, or
  - minimum EUR 2,000,000 of cumulative funding to date.
Scaleups that have been nominated EIT Digital Challenge winner or Champions in any prior editions of the EIT Digital Challenge/Champions are excluded from participating. For clarification purposes, this restriction does not apply to EIT Digital Challenge/Champions non-winner finalists from previous editions who are thus welcome to re-apply.
Contest language is English, i.e., all submission material must be submitted in English and the scaleup must pitch in English at the Pitching Contest.