We at Search On Media Group - designers of WMF, the biggest Festival in Europe about Digital & Social Innovation - have always been committed to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and startups growth. To pursue this goal the company plans, sponsors and networks many events and initiatives to promote and support the creation of an innovative ecosystem.

During the past years WMF has hosted more than 2,800 Startups at WMF, while organising Startups Competitions, Startup Districts and other types of activities to work towards a unique and ambitious direction; the creation of a global startup network. 

Impressively, during WMF's editions more than 150 between partners and investors have delivered and received awards with a total value of over one million Euros.

Today we want to take the innovative ecosystem that gravitates around WMF abroad, involving foreign startups, digital professionals, institutions and partners from every Country. This is why we created the International Journey WMF Worldwide Events, and WMF Worldwide Event Greece.

WMF Worldwide Event Greece is part of WMF International Roadshow to enhance global innovation and cooperation.

The Event will host a Startup Competition, welcoming cutting-edge startups of the digital world that will have the opportunity to pitch in front of many investors and several leading players of the innovative sector.

The Startup Competition of WMF Worldwide Event Greece will be an hybrid event - it will take place both in Thessaloniki, Greece, and streamed Online throughout the interactive platform ibrida.io.

The Startup Competition Greece is organised in collaboration with the Italian-Hellenic Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce.

The Worldwide Event Greece Startup Competition Greece is open to any type of startup or business, both for individuals or teams, who wants to share their innovative projects or ideas and pitch in front of international investors.

All startups applying as candidates will be evaluated by a dedicated jury.

During the event, fifteen startups will be selected to pitch in front of major investors with a three-minutes elevator-pitch, in order to present their project to the audience and to the jury. The jury will be composed by leading digital professionals and several investors. At the end of the event the jury will select three winners.

Read the instructions

The "elevator pitch" is a brief presentation that describes your business venture in a nutshell. A solid elevator pitch needs to convey the business idea in a concise manner, so as to quickly attract the audience's attention.

Download support material

Every startup attending the event is guaranteed 1 free ticket - valid for only one member of the team - for the following WMF in Italy, both online and onsite in Rimini.

Winners of the WMF Worldwide Event Greece Startup Competition:

• 3rd and 2nd classified:
  - Free access for the whole team to the following WMF (both online and onsite in Rimini, Italy).
  - Direct access to the "Startup Stage" - a conference room entirely dedicated to startups within the WMF - where Startups will have the opportunity to give an elevator pitch to illustrare their projects in front of several National and International Investors and Startup Incubators, and the opportunity to access to several prizes offered by WMF partners and investors that populate the Room.
  - Chance to compete against startups from all over the world in order to be selected among the 6 finalists of the Final Startup Competition, within the WMF in Rimini, Italy.

• 1st classified:
  - Free access for the whole team to the following WMF (both online and onsite in Rimini, Italy).
  - A Booth in the "Startup District" of the following WMF, both onsite in Rimini and online. The "Startup District" is the innovation expo area of WMF where startups can show their expertise, interact with investors and with the audience and also collect profiled leads.
  - Direct access to the "Startup Stage", a conference room entirely dedicated to startups within the WMF where Startups will have the opportunity to give an elevator pitch to illustrare their projects in front of National and International Investors and Startup Incubators, and the opportunity to access to several prizes offered by WMF partners and investors that populate the Room.
  - Chance to compete against startups from all over the world in order to be selected among the 6 finalists of the Final Startup Competition, within WMF, in Rimini, Italy.

Final Startup Competition within WMF, in Italy:

In the Final Startup Competition National and International Startups compete to win the final prize. Only 6 startups will be selected as finalists in Italy. The final 6 will have the possibility to pitch on the WMF Mainstage (with 7 thousand attendees based on 2019 data). The winner of the Final Startup Competition will have access to the prize of around 1 million euros (based on 2019 data).

Applicants will be selected according to the following criteria:

• Skills of the team, knowledge of the sector, feasibility of the project;
• Development stage of the product/service;
• Degree of innovation and its defensibility;
• Positioning in relation to competitors;
• Consistency with market and customers’ needs and potential outreach;
• Business potential of the idea.