Startup Ireland seeks winner for ‘start-up World Cup’

23 Jul 2014

The Gangnam district of Seoul, South Korea. Image via Wikimedia Commons

Startup Ireland is calling on Ireland’s best tech start-ups to compete for a presence in the ‘start-up World Cup’ taking place in Seoul, South Korea, on 24 November to potentially win US$100,000 in funding.

Run by Korea’s Dream Bank Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs in conjunction with the Startup Nations Summit, the competition is one of the largest of its kind in the world.

But first, Startup Ireland is inviting Irish tech start-ups to compete for a chance to represent Ireland in the competition.

Startup Ireland said the cost of the trip (including flight and accommodation) will go to one member of the winning start-up team the judges believe will best represent Ireland. He or she will join Startup Ireland’s co-founder Eoin Costello in travelling to South Korea in November.

Entrants to the Irish leg will be judged on the areas involved in running a successful tech business, including having an understanding of market needs, a strong business model, the ability to offer solutions to problems, and developing a competitive advantage over their biggest rivals.

Aside from having the chance to win US$100,000 worth of prizes in South Korea, participants in the world event could also win US$50,000 worth of perks spread across the five best start-ups, including private investor pitch opportunities and mentoring sessions.

“It is fantastic that our movement’s membership of the prestigious Startup Nations organisation is already enabling us to present the best of Ireland’s tech start-ups on the international stage,” said Costello.

“This complements Startup Ireland’s mission of sending the message out to the world that Ireland is the land of opportunity for start-ups that want to take on the world!”

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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