Submission Deadline: June 17 2013
The Global Innovation Through Science & Technology (GIST) Initiative invites entrepreneurs from Africa, Asia, Middle East & Turkey to participate in its annual “GIST Tech-I” Competition. This competition is designed to encourage technology entrepreneurs to launch and/or grow a company.
The Global Innovation through Science and Technology Initiative (GIST) builds entrepreneurial ecosystems across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia by identifying and supporting promising entrepreneurs through competitions, skills development, networking within the GIST community, and interactive mentorship.
The GIST Initiative is led by the U.S. Department of State and CRDF Global.
CRDF Global an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to international scientific and technical collaboration and training.
Eligibility
Competition applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible to participate in the 2013 GIST Tech-I Competition:
1) Tech-I application must be written in English, and the video must be in English or with English subtitles.
2) Application’s idea or startup must focus on science or technology solutions with market potential in sectors such as information and communication technologies (ICTs), energy, and health.
3) All members of a team can only enter the competition once with one submission.
4) Each team must select a member who will be the applicant for the team in this competition. This member does not have to occupy a particular position on the team, i.e. CEO. That member is hereafter referred to as the applicant.
5) The applicant must be either a permanent resident or citizen of a GIST eligible country. U.S. citizens or permanent residents are not eligible to participate in the competition.
6) Each applicant must choose to enter the competition as either an Idea Stage or Startup Stage
7) The applicant must be at least 18 years old and able to both read and speak English proficiently.
8) Final award winners from previous GIST Tech-I and I-Dare competitions are not eligible to apply for the 2013 GIST Tech-I competition.
9) The applicant should be ready and available to present their technology idea or startup during trainings and business pitch presentations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 10-12, 2013.
10) The applicant must hold a valid passport and be eligible to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to participate in the workshop and pitch session if selected as a semi-finalist.
11) All awards will be granted to the applicant only.
12) Applications that fall under the following categories will not be accepted:
pure research projects with no demonstrable commercial potential
team based at a charity or foundation (not-for-profits) organizations
teams based at organizations that buy and resell technologies and other goods.
Application Instructions
In order to participate in the competition, eligible applicants must submit an application online, which includes a selection of either an Idea Stage or Startup Stage classification. The content of this application should demonstrate viability of an idea, market potential, and strategy to raise funding and generate revenue. The application must contain the following:
1) Executive Summary
The Executive Summary will be completed online and must not go beyond three pages. The word count should not exceed 1,000 words and must be written in English. It should include the information outlined below. In addition to the 1,000 words, applicants are encouraged to include visuals, such as tables, graphs, and/or photos, to convey additional information or to complement the narrative portion of the Executive Summary.
2) A Two-Minute Promotional Video
Each application must include a two-minute promotional video, which should highlight the value and purpose of the product or service to customers. The video must be in English or include English subtitles. During this video, applicants are encouraged to be creative and can use images, pictures, text, music, animation, prototypes, or simply have an individual in front of a camera to pitch their idea. Applicants will be required to provide the URL link to their YouTube or Vimeo videos. The privacy setting of the video must be set up as “public.”
Applicants are encouraged to view videos from the GIST Tech-I 2011 and 2012 finalists and other videos made by entrepreneurs who want to reach their customers which are available on websites such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter.