About
We aim to encourage innovative startup entrepreneurship with intercommunal vision in Cyprus, to bring together and increase contacts between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and support entrepreneurs in developing their businesses.
Su4P will provide much needed support to new and fledgling businesses through the delivery of;
- Expert support in application preparation phase.
- Opportunity for networking across Cyprus.
- Access to the EU Incubator Hive.
- Series of workshops as part of two residential bootcamps;
- “One-to-one” mentoring sessions depending on the needs of the startups;
- “Market discovery” opportunity for professional development of each startup, and;
- A “Pitching battle” where startups will compete with their business ideas to impress an independent jury which is formed of business professionals.
The winners of the Pitching Battle get chance to attend the legendary startup event, SLUSH, in Helsinki, Finland.
Image taken from https://www.slush.org/events/helsinki/ address as a screenshot
Applications for Startups4Peace 2022 are now closed. Thank you for your interest. Up to 16 startups/entrepreneurs will be given chance to participate at the programme after a competitive evaluation process.
Up to two individuals can represent a startup at the bootcamps and mentoring sessions and the representative of the startup at the pitching battle must participate at the bootcamps and be actively involved in the programme.
The language of the programme will be in English.
Pictures from 2022 Bootcamps and Pitching Battle.
Essential Criteria
1. the owner/founder of the business OR,
2. an entrepreneur at pre-startup stage and must demonstrate they have a viable business idea and,
3. Participant(s) must be over 18 years of age and,
4. Participant(s) must have a good level of English language and,
5. The business / entrepreneur must be based in Cyprus and,
6. Applicant/participant(s) must hold necessary documentation to travel across Cyprus.
Exclusion Criteria
1. Participants of winner teams and individuals of previous Su4P programmes.
2. Applications with business ideas that are not legal and above board.
Important Note: Applicants/participants are expected to attend both Bootcamps. Those who do not attend Bootcamps will neither have chance to participate/present business idea at the Pitching Battle nor attend Slush. Also, note that the priority may be given to those that did not participate in the previous Su4P Programmes.
Evaluation Criteria
Cooperation Criteria (40%)
The business idea / business must aim cooperation across Cyprus and demonstrate the bicommunal nature of the project. The business follows the objectives of increasing co-operation between the Turkish Cypriot and the Greek Cypriot communities, joint business ideas and taking into consideration opportunities of operating in a cross-community environment.
Business Criteria (60%)
“The business idea / business must…”
1. Be innovative (Max. 10%)
2. Demonstrate a clear value proposition / clear benefit to the customer (Max. 10%)
3. Have identified a target market and significant market opportunity (Max. 10%)
4. Demonstrate growth potential (Max. 10%)
5. Have a strong support network and have potential to create employment(Max. 10%)
6. Ensure that the product/service is commercialised or is capable of commercialisation (Max. 10%)
Programme Outline & Timeline
Please follow us for 2023 programme outline and timeline details on
www.startups4peace.eu and https://www.facebook.com/
Programme Outline & Timeline
4 July 2022
Programme Launch
4 July – 19 August 2022
Application Period
15 August 2022
Final date for Clarification Requests
19 August 2022
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
31 August – 2 September 2022
Notifications to Applicants
Week of 12 September
Week of 17 October
Startup Bootcamp 2 (Two-day workshop including one night of accommodation)
12 September – 21 October 2022
Mentoring & Market Discovery Support
Week of 24 October 2022
PITCHING BATTLE
17 & 18 November 2022
SLUSH in Finland
FAQ
Applicants are requested to fill in the Application Form available here and send to info@inovatif.eu by 19 August 2022.
For further questions, applicants can contact info@inovatif.eu and/or +90 548 864 64 26 up until 15 August 2022. Please contact us if you do not receive the e-mail acknowledging the receipt within two working days.
Yes, you can apply as an individual entrepreneur for a startup or business idea.
Up to 2 representatives from each startup will join the bootcamps.
No, it is not compulsory to apply with a bi-communal startup/business idea. However, please note that 40% of the evaluation criteria is dedicated for “Cooperation” aspect of your application.
No. As per the essential criteria, the applicant must be;
- an owner/founder of the business; OR,
- an entrepreneur at pre-startup stage and must demonstrate they have a viable business idea.
Yes, Participant(s) must be over 18 years of age.
Yes. Applicants/participants are expected to attend both Bootcamps. Those who do not attend Bootcamps will neither have chance to participate/present business idea at the Pitching Battle nor attend Slush.
There is no rule on the number of applications that can be submitted. Each application will be evaluated individually.
Programme will end in 24 October week with a Pitching Battle. Three winner teams will have chance to attend Slush on 17 and 18 November 2022. See programme outline and timeline section for further details.
- Two residential bootcamps – all expenses covered!
- One-to-one mentoring sessions– benefit from business development experts!
- “Digital Market Discovery” opportunity – to expand your startup (idea)!
- Experience a “Pitching Battle” – compete with your business idea presented to a jury of business professionals!
- Get a chance to attend the legendary startup event, SLUSH, in Helsinki, Finland– all expenses covered!
- Expand your network island-wide!
The programme will be open to all sectors. Please note that applications with business ideas that are not legal and above board will be ineligible for evaluation.
The full application form should not exceed 5 pages in total.
Get In Touch
Startups4Peace is co-funded by the Embassy of Finland and the European Union within the scope of the Innovative Entrepreneurship project, implemented by NI-CO.