Unloc Young Entrepreneurs Challenge

The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge, brought to you by Verizon Business and Unloc, is an annual event that seeks to find cutting edge young talent across Europe.

Opportunity Details

When

Registration Opens

01/10/2021

Registration Closes

21/01/2022

Award

£10,000 for grand prize winner: £1,000 per finalist

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Got a great business idea or concept? If you’re 16-25 and have a fresh and innovative technology led idea for a business, or have started one already – then Unloc want to hear from you! This competition seeks the best young minds from across Europe, young people with vision, social awareness and the ambition to achieve.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a £10,000 / €11,000* grant, a mentorship package and pro-bono support to accelerate their business idea or start-up. It’s the opportunity to make your mark, get noticed and put your ideas into action.

One overall winner, selected by a panel of industry experts and entrepreneurs, will walk away with a substantial £10,000 / €11,000* grant to invest in their business, whilst each finalist will also receive a £1,000/€1,100* cash injection.

All you have to do is record a 60-second pitch video on your phone and submit it with your application here to have a chance to win:

  • £10,000/€11,000* of funding for your start-up business
  • A mentorship package to accelerate your idea
  • Finalist runners-up will receive £1,000 of funding for your start-up business
  • Ticket to the Global One Young World 2022 Tokyo Summit in Japan

Competition criteria

Applications will be judged on three key factors:

Viability
  • Can the plan achieve what it states it will do?
  • Does it operate within the budget/resources currently held or will acquire?
  • Is the idea investment ready? How will you use the funding if successful?

Tech innovation

  • Is the idea unique?
  • Does it have a clear unique selling point?
  • Is the technology solving the problem in a creative way or filling a gap in the market?

Sustainability

  • Will the venture improve people’s lives?
  • Will it meet social or community needs in a new way?
  • Does it meet or sustain a UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)?

Eligibility

Applications will only be accepted from:
  • Individuals between the ages of 16 and 25 years on the 1st February 2022
  • Residents and/or citizens of a mainland European country
  • Business proposals must meet the following criteria:
    • Be legal in all mainland European countries
    • Be either a pre-start (not yet trading); or not have been trading for more than 3 years and have an annual turnover of less than £100,000 on 1st February 2022
    • Not have the purpose of political lobbying
    • Be the applicant’s own idea and not infringe on the copyright, patent or intellectual property of others
    • Immediate family members of the judging panel are not eligible to apply
    • Previous entrants who attended the Grand Final are not eligible to apply
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