February 14, 2018
Looking for Europe’s Best: The Digital Top 50 Awards 2018 by Google, McKinsey and Rocket Internet join forces with TOA
Berlin, February 14, 2018 - Google, McKinsey and Rocket Internet are opening applications for the 2018 edition of the Digital Top 50 Awards (DT50), to celebrate Europe’s thriving tech scene and honour the most promising tech companies. Now in its third year, the DT50s will recognise the most promising Start-ups and Scale-ups, who will be Europe’s digital market leaders of tomorrow, as well as a Tech for Social Impact company.
The awards are organised under the patronage of Mr Carlos Moedas, Member of the European Commission and supported by strategic partners INSEAD, Ashoka and TOA.
Applications are now open at www.dt50.org. Companies from the EU and from EFTA countries can apply for the following categories until 1 April 2018:
- Top B2B Start-up
- Top B2C Start-up
- Top B2B Scale-up
- Top B2C Scale-up
- Tech for Social Impact
The Top 50s will be selected through a mix of: a jury of leading figures in tech, business and academia, 1 minute elevator online pitches on the TOA website and live pitches at TOA 2018 Berlin. More details at: https://www.dt50.org/faq.
The winner in the Tech for Social Impact category will be granted a cash prize of 50,000 Euros. All five winners will receive a confluence of valuable support through exposure to leading professional advice and structured consulting and coaching programmes, as well as access to a huge network of relevant industry contacts.
Oliver Muhr, CEO of Seerene and winner of the B2B Scale-Up 2016 says: “This award really helps companies to succeed and achieve their goals. A lot of awards stop with the award and I think that’s just the first step with DT50; the work starts after the award is handed out and we tremendously benefited from that.”
All Top 50s will receive a showcase space at TOA Berlin 2018 Haus of Tech and will be invited to the Award Ceremony at TOA, where the final winners of each category will be announced.
Torsten Schuppe,Vice President, Marketing, Google says:
"We are always inspired to see what people do when they have access to technology. We know that people are changing the world through their own creativity and passion, and we want to do our part to make sure that everyone has access to the right programmes and tools to grow their skills, careers and businesses. DT50 is an exciting opportunity to recognise a new generation of entrepreneurs and help them grow further and realise their dream"
Karel Dörner, Head of Digital McKinsey Labs Europe, says:
“Entrepreneurial talent is a key source driving digitization in Europe. We need great talents that further accelerate the disruption of nearly all business models. McKinsey aims to support you strategy-wise and provide intense consulting and coaching together with our Digital McKinsey unit. In addition, we connect you with leading industry experts and corporates, because it is time to make something big out of your idea and your talent.”
Alexander Kudlich, Board Member and Group Managing Director of Rocket Internet, says:
“We have joined forces with Google and McKinsey in order to enable a unique platform for top entrepreneurs to get access to a diversified network of Europe’s tech leaders. It is a great opportunity for aspiring companies to gain a solid ground in the highly-competitive startup market. Rocket Internet has a lot of experience in incubating and investing in online business models worldwide. We want to share our expertise and help shape the digital startup ecosystem in Europe.”
Media contact:
McKinsey & Company
Rocket Internet