The fourth annual Shanghai Yangpu Global Startups Competition semi-final is coming to Toronto on June 22. The competition is hoping to bring together more than 1,000 innovative and entrepreneurial projects from around the world.
Some of the competition’s sectors include new retail, healthcare, blockchain, and software applications.
This year, the competition is offering up to $500,000 CAD in prizes, which is being offered up by the Shanghai Yangpu People’s Municipal Government. There will also be a follow-up system tracking and supporting the award-winning projects. A panel of judges will be representatives from the VC, angel investor, and incubator communities.
To be eligible for the competition, companies must be less than five years old, and there is a bonus award for individuals with a master or above degree from an overseas college. Some of the sectors include new retail, internet, healthcare, blockchain, new energy, software applications, information security, new finance, automotive transportation, and advanced manufacturing. The full list of sectors can be found on the competition’s event page.
Twelve companies that advance to the semi-finals will be assigned to competition venues in Toronto accordingly for an on-site road show evaluation by the judges. The participating companies will conduct road shows of about 10 minutes and defences of five minutes onsite. The judges will select six companies to advance to the finals.
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Shanghai, China has begun stepping up its efforts to build a technology and innovation centre of global influence. Yangpu District, once a traditional industrial base, is now hoping to become a major innovation hub by 2030.
The northeastern region of Shanghai has gradually made high-end services and innovation its focal point. The event organizers stated that the region is now home to nearly 600 innovative companies and institutions, including leading international brands such as Siemens and IBM. It stated that more than 2,000 small-to-medium sized startups are also housed in the area, with more expected to follow.
The semi-final will be hosted at the Markham Civic Centre, north of downtown Toronto. Winners will advance to the final round which will be hosted in Shanghai from August 5 to the 25th.
Image courtesy Unsplash
