MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, Jan. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GWC, a global mobile innovation platform, today announced the launch of G-Startup Worldwide (http://g-startup.com/), and startups are encouraged to apply now for stops in Tel Aviv and Beijing. The competition awards the 18 most innovative, early stage startups from around the globe. GWC is building on the success of G-Startup competitions that have been held annually since 2008 by earmarking $1 million for the winners. These investments will flow from the newly formed Global Innovator Fund, which is focused on investing in global innovators that are improving our world. The fund's LPs include Cheetah Mobile (CMCM) and Sequoia Capital, and GWC is committed to supporting the competition winners with a truly global set of resources.
All startups accepted into G-Startup Worldwide receive the opportunity to pitch their company on the GMIC stage in front of venture capitalists, press, and an audience of tech influencers. Each local G-Startup victor will receive a $50,000 investment prize, while second place will receive $20,000. Additionally, each local winner receives a free trip to the finals at GMIC Silicon Valley, to be held September 28-30, 2016.
The nine local G-Startup winners will pitch one final time at GMIC Silicon Valley, with the overall champion receiving an added $250,000 and the runner-up receiving an added $120,000. Moreover, the grand prize winner and overall runner-up receive a G-Network Membership that will allow them to access GWC's exclusive, global network of tech leaders, executives and investors.
GWC is also announcing that applications are now open for:
The Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC), will host a G-Startup competition at all nine GMIC 2016 locations, including additional stops in:
Past judges for GMIC competitions include Lei Jun, CEO and Founder at Xiaomi; Dave McClure, Managing Director at 500 Startups; James Shen, Managing Director at Qualcomm Ventures; and Tim Chang, Managing Director at Mayfield Fund. Startup alumni include App Annie, the go-to place for understanding app analytics, and Didi Kuaidi, a skyrocketing ride-sharing service that hosted over a billion passengers in 2015 alone. GWC has existing investments in startups around the world, focused in China, India, and the United States. G-Startup Worldwide intends to become the world's most influential global startup competition, with over 100,000 expected attendees for 2016 GMIC events, an expected 1,500+ startup submissions, and 700+ mobile executives within the G-Network portfolio.
Startups interested in competing are recommended to have raised a seed round not exceeding $1.5 million and have produced a minimum viable product with initial signs of traction in its local market. Submissions from mobile, IoT, wearables, virtual reality (VR), drones, robotics, education, health, cloud, social, and commerce are welcome, with preference given to startups that show evidence of making a profoundly positive impact on the world at large.
Applications are now being accepted for Tel Aviv (https://www.f6s.com/g-startupworldwidetelaviv/apply) and Beijing (https://www.f6s.com/g-startupworldwidebeijing/apply).
For G-Startup updates, please subscribe to the G-Startup Newsletter at http://g-startup.com/. For media inquiries or to request a press invitation to any GMIC event, please contact Barrett Parkman at barrett.parkman@gwc.net.
About GWC
GWC was founded in 2008 with the vision to be the world's most influential mobile innovation platform. GWC enables technology innovation that positively impacts mankind by building connections and trust among mobile industry leaders and innovators globally. It includes the G-Network, a member network with over 700 CEO industry members; the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) event series; GHome, a China-US innovation incubator; and RobotX, a leading AI and Robotics innovation platform. For more information, please visit http://en.gwc.net/.
About GMIC
GMIC, the Global Mobile Internet Conference, hosts mobile executives, entrepreneurs, developers, and investors from around the globe and across platforms to build partnerships, to learn from industry thought leaders, to better understand mobile technology trends, and to shed light on how mobile is positively changing the world. GMIC will be the official home for all G-Startup Worldwide competitions. For more information, please visit http://www.thegmic.com/.
Media Contact
Barrett Parkman
barrett.parkman@gwc.net
