Tag: award

“If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things - using data they gathered without any help from us - we would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best.” Kevin Ashton, digital innovation expert, credited with coining the term “Internet of Things”.

Let’s look at an example

In 2007, a bridge in Minnesota collapsed because of steel plates that were inadequate to handle the bridge’s load, resulting in many people being hurt. It’s one of the most catastrophic in terms of injured people, but many similar incidents are happening everywhere in the world. Despite periodic checkups of the structures, engineers and other staff involved couldn’t predict the exact moment a problem like this would occur.

That’s where IoT can come in handy

When bridges or other massive structures are build or rebuild, instead of a regular one, a smart cement could be used - a cement equipped with sensors to monitor stresses, cracks, and warpage that signals when a problem arises and gets fixed before it causes a catastrophe. If the road on a bridge or any motorway and street is slippery, the same sensors would detect the hazard and communicate the information to the driver’s car. Once the car detects the hazard ahead, it indicates the driver to slow down or the car itself would slow down for him. Sensors on the bridge will connect and communicate with machines in the car, information is then turned into action. And these technologies aren’t limited only to a bridge’s structure. If policy makers and businesses get it right, linking the physical and digital worlds could generate up to $11.1 trillion a year in economic value by 2025. Currently, most of the data gathered by IoT systems and devices is not used. Cloud-based applications are the key to using leveraged data. The Internet of Things doesn’t function without cloud-based applications to interpret and transmit the data coming from all these sensors. The cloud is what enables the apps to work best anywhere and anytime.

The game-changer

MClimate (Melissa Climate) is an IoT company which changes the way people use the appliances they already have. Its cloud system connects the heating and cooling system in one’s home, so an actual insight and control is gained of over 70% of an electricity bill. Their devices learn your preferences and habits - what temperature you are most comfortable with, when you usually get home, how long it takes for your HVAC system to cool down/heat up etc. Melissa climate won a Webit Award in the category Best Connected Consumer Electronics Device at Webit.Festival 2017. You can watch Lyubomir Yanchev’s pitch right here: [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d0gXq7cYpk[/embed] Stay up to date with the upcoming festival’s agenda here. If you wish to learn more about the IoT, you can check this article in Forbes magazine.

  You may see the full video from the Webit's Founders Games ceremony here.   The entrepreneurial ecosystem of Central and Eastern Europe is picking up traction and the region is awaiting its billion euro company soon! The winner of the Founders Games Challenge has already over 12 million users from 140 countries and growing. The New Markets Startup Oscars Ceremony was held on the second day of Webit.Festival Europe in Sofia, the digital capital of the new markets. 1438 startups from 60 countries have applied. There were 3 rounds of valuation and finally 65 of them were invited to join the festival and provided free expo booths and opportunity to pitch in front of 20 investors and global enterprise leaders. For 2 days the jury selected 5 out of 65 to present at the ceremony. See video from the live streaming of the Award Ceremony here The 5 selected finalists were: Biowatch (FinTech biometric company from Switzerland), Clikem (Advertising white label URL shortening & monetization platform from Israel), BuddyGuard (a German home security system packed in a single and beautiful device),  Broshura.bg (Bulgarian based online brochure service with over 10 M monthly users in Europe) , AdGuard (Russian startup for security/privacy protection and ad blocker) . As the names of the finalist were kept secret to the very last moment, one of the selected finalists BuddyGuard has left to catch a flight and missed its opportunity to win this record award. It was replaced by the next on the list - Playground Energy. Finally the Founders Games Trophy and cash award in seed investment of 200 000 EUR was granted to AdGuard - a Russian startup with 12 million users in 140 countries, $1.5M annual revenue with 50-75% annual growth. AdGuard is a software tool to protect users from web security/privacy threats including malware, js tracking and scam/untrusted web-pages and blocking online ads. The majority of the 65 selected startups were in post seed stage with 200 000 to 2 million EUR investment made already and growth potential. There was also a special pre seed section of the Challenge too. The € 200'000 award was raised only by Bulgarian investors and successful entrepreneurs to prove that Bulgarian ecosystem is not only supporting its own growth but also the growth of European startups. The 4 investors include the founder of Telerik Vassil Terziev, who made the biggest exit in CEE with Telerik, which was acquired by Progress for 264 million, Ivo Evgeniev (owner of Rosslyn Capital), Lyubomir Minchev (founder of largest SEE system integrator Telelink) and Plamen Russev, investor, philanthropist and Chairman of Webit.Foundation.       About Webit.Festival Europe Webit.Festival Europe welcomed over 4300 attendees from 74 countries. Among the speakers were the President of Bulgaria, Mr. Rossen Plevneliev, the President of the European Committee of the Regions Marku Markulla, the founders of BlockChain, Hyperloop, Presidents and top executives from MasterCard, Google, IBM Cloud, Cisco, innovators, entrepreneurs, top European policy makers and investors. Among the speakers were also scientists including Prof. Moran Cerf, a business and neuroscience professor recently names among the the top 40 professors in the world under 40. Cars producing water as an exhaust product, ceiling cover products from the Carbon in the air, a crystal memory which is practically forever and can record up to 360 TB information were only part of the future tech presented at the festival. "Europe is becoming second tier player not only to America, but to China and India" said Plamen Russev, investor and Chairman of Webit.Foundation. "Central and Eastern Europe has the potential to help the continent make a jump. We have to prove that Digital Europe can jump" said also the Chairman. See the official opening keynotes here. More information: Elina Georgieva pr@webitcongress.com more pictures: The 4 Bulgarian investors and the winner The Founders Games host - Evan Luthra (a self made tech millionare and an Instagram star), and the 4 Bulgarians who raised the 200000 EUR award (left to right) Plamen Russev, Bulgarian investor and Chairman of Webit.Foundation, Vassil Terziev, founder of Telerik, Ivo Evgeniev, Bulgarian Investor, Rosslyn Capital, Angel Kelchev, Endeavor Org. The President of Bulgaria, Mr. Rossen Plevneliev and Plamen Russev, investor and Chairman of Webit.Foundation     The Mayor of Sofia, Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova Over 4300 attendees from 74 countries attended Webit.Festival Europe. This is the Blue Hall of the Festival Evan Luthra, the Host of the Founders Games Starup Challenge and the Webit's Pitch Stage Webit's Jazz Networking Area Part of Webit's venue - Tech Park Sofia  

The startup friendly Enterprise event* Webit.Festival Europe just got friendlier!

Here is another BIG € 200'000 reason for the startups to apply for Webit's Founders Games, get a free expo stand, 2 free festival tickets and win € 200'000 seed investment!

Not a startup? Great! Webit is the only enterprise event to join and to explore great business opportunities with 75% C-level executives among the attendees as well as to have a walk among the exhibiting top European startups, get inspired, take advantage from collaborating with innovators or explore talent acquisition opportunities! If you still do not have your ticket - book today! Already registered - see you in Sofia! More about the € 200'000 A group of prominent successful entrepreneurs, investors and business angels have just joined me and together we announce a € 200'000 seed investment for the winner of Webit's Founders Games Challenge. Please share with your network of entrepreneurs that If they are not among the 930+ startups who have already applied - they have 5 days to do it! For all who have applied and were selected for exhibitors and to pitch in front of the jury -  good luck! Their Founders Games just got € 200'000 more challenging and exciting! :) See you in Sofia on 19-20 April @ Webit.Festival Europe! Warm regards!  

Plamen Russev  Chairman, Webit Foundation | Global Webit Series

WEBIT.FEST's Dev Summit takes place on April 20th in Sofia Tech Park, welcoming speakers from three continents. Part of the lineup has been already announced, including MySQL, WomenWhoCode, Angelhack, Google, Twilio and many others.  Except good content, there is something else that we value and it is talent, tech spirit and entrepreneurship. WEBIT.FOUNDATION was created to support and motivate young people in their career. We are happy to award the two winning teams of the Hack Bulgaria latest contest and to provide them with free tickets for the Dev Summit, where they can find further inspiration and opportunities. Meet the winners and their ideas! Team Underdogs made a web application for teachers notebook, which helps communication between teachers, students and parents. Team Catchy made ​​online store that can be easily added to a blog plugin, so people without technical skills can have their own online store. The registration and pass booking is still available on our official webpage till 10th of April. The agenda of 19th and 20th includes also Marketing and Innovation Summit, Tech Summit, Smart Cities Summit, New Economy Leadership Summit, Investors Day and Startup Pitches, Trade and Startup Expo, Night Summit with cultural agenda, WEBIT party on Day1 and Startup party on Day2, 50 meetups on different topics - all of this you can check at webit.bg. See you at WEBIT.FESTIVAL!