2018 is the year to go far and beyond which is pretty much the same thing as saying it’s the year to continue to go global but better than ever. And Beta-i is going global without any fear. Proof of that is how we started the year, with two huge international programs one of them focused on Portugal. And this is just the beginning.
The first one is the Global Impact Challenge, that aims to foster moonshot innovations and startups that positively impact the lives of people living in Portugal, with an ability to scale and impact a billion people worldwide in 10 years. The challenge brought by SingularityU Portugal comes to our country for the first time after being in countries like Brazil, Canada or Norway.
The other one is Free Electrons. Yes, Free Electrons is back with its amazing USD 200,000 prize, no strings attached. This program is an opportunity for later stage energy startups to gain access to not one, not two, but eight giant utilities, including EDP, TEPCO, innogy and origin, which can help them expand and scale into new markets.
What’s in it for the startups? A lot. Beta-i going global means nothing if startups don’t go global with us. It’s an opportunity for startups to get to know different markets, explore their pilot and have investment opportunities. All of this, of course, if they try, because you know what they say if you never try you’ll never know.
How can startups try to go global? It’s as simple as applying and dates are the following: Global Impact Challenge applications close on February 6, 2018 and Free Electrons applications close on February 23, 2018. We’re rooting for all of you.