- Application phase until April 11, 2014
- In Germany, the main focus is on the two categories "Cloud-Based Productivity" and "Future Media & Communication"
- The first preliminary selection will be made in May at re:publica in Berlin. The Champions Pitch event is scheduled for the end of June in Krakow, Poland
After a successful start in 2013, Deutsche Telekom is once again holding its international "Telekom Innovation Contest". Creative teams of students, entrepreneurs with startup ideas, young IT startups and Telekom Group employees have until April 11 to submit their ideas in several categories at www.telekom-innovation-contest.com . The rewards include investments of up to EUR 150,000, inclusion in international startup programs, hardware, software, and contacts with the top decision-makers at Deutsche Telekom. The finalists will be determined after international and national preliminary rounds. The German preliminary decision will be made at re:publica in Berlin, and the winning team will be determined from twelve finalists at the Champions Pitch event in Krakow, Poland, at the end of June 2014. Dr. Heinrich Arnold, global head of Telekom Innovation Laboratories, is looking forward to this relaunch of the Telekom Innovation Contest: "IT innovations create new industry segments, new jobs, and enrich people's lives. With our Telekom Innovation Contest we help startups to quickly and effectively integrate their creative IT products and services into Deutsche Telekom's product portfolio. In the future, we will no longer create innovations side-by-side, but in a collaborative environment, and that's exactly what we want to achieve." The 2014 contest is being supported by hub:raum, Telekom's incubator program, with locations in Berlin, Krakow and Tel Aviv, as well as by Kitchen Budapest and UQBATE, a special program for Group employees. Additional sponsors include seven national Telekom companies in central and eastern Europe. They coordinate national preliminary rounds, provide prizes, and will cooperate in future with the finalists and winners. "We are witnessing the start of a terrific and highly dynamic startup eco-system," says Peter Borchers, founder and head of hub:raum Berlin. "Initiatives like the Telekom Innovation Contest reinforce this. That's why hub:raum is honored to actively support this contest at all locations." Teams of two or more people can submit their ideas in several categories. Deutsche Telekom focuses in particular on the categories titled "Cloud-Based Productivity" and "Future Media & Communication". Additional categories are: "Internet of Things", "Cyber Security", "Reality Data" and "Smart Energy". Prizes for the Telekom Innovation Contest 2014 The winners in 2014 have a host of prizes to look forward to. They include the prospect of investments up to EUR 150,000 by the Deutsche Telekom incubators, getting support from top Group executives, hardware and software packages, inclusion in international events, and the provision of office space in the facilities of one of the four incubators. All finalists will also attend a 4-day startup training program where they can learn from experts, gain insights into Deutsche Telekom's research projects, and have the opportunity to further develop their idea. The winning team will take the stage at the "Long Night of Startups" on September 6 in Berlin, at which up to 6,000 guests are expected. This combination of prizes certainly paid off for the winners of the 2013 contest: “Participating in the Telekom Innovation Contest was an important step for us toward securing the right connections and taking our idea to the next level,” said Ivan Klimek, CEO of Excalibur. Agenda for the Telekom Innovation Contest 2014 Once the application period has expired on April 11, 2014, experts from Deutsche Telekom will view all submissions. The teams with the best ideas will be invited to national preliminary contests taking place in May in Athens, Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Podgorica, Prague, Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Zagreb, and Berlin. In Berlin, the finalists must convince the panel of experts of their idea on a public stage at re:publica (May 6. – 8.). Teams from outside of Europe will take part in a virtual contest round. The Champions Pitch event at the end of June in Krakow, Poland, will be the climax of a four-day startup training program. Afterwards, the winners will continue to develop their ideas in cooperation with Deutsche Telekom's national companies. The 2013 Telekom Innovation Contest In 2013, over 700 teams from 45 countries submitted 444 ideas. Out of 12 finalists from eight countries, Excalibur from Slovakia was the winner with an authentication solution for mobile devices. Cubilog from Hungary and Germany's Codeatelier startup took second and third place, respectively, with their "Homee" solution.
About Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies with over 142 million mobile customers, 31 million fixed-network lines and over 17 million broadband lines (as of December 31, 2013). The Group provides fixed-network, mobile communications, Internet and IPTV products and services for consumers, and ICT solutions for business and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in around 50 countries and has approximately 229,000 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenue of 60.1 billion euros in the 2013 financial year - over half of it outside Germany.