Branch Track, SaaS product that creates interactive customer simulations for scenario-based learning, recently won the Best Startup Award at How to Web Startup Spotlight, competition and mentoring program with 20.000 USD cash prizes.
The runner up was Jaboo, a set of smart wrist bands that accelerate and improve the athletes' techniques by tracking their speed, force or training patterns.
30 tech startups from 9 CEE countries attended How to Web Startup Spotlight 2015. The first day of the program was organized in a private setting, at TechHub Bucharest, and started with a pitching competition where the jury chose the 8 teams that further on presented their products on the main stage of the conference. The day continued with 2 dedicated workshops: "Ecommerce tactics to increase software sales" by Adriana Iordan, Chief Product Evangelist, Avangate, and "SaaS in practice" by Sorin Peste, Technical Evangelist, Microsoft.
Over the next 2 days, the Startup Spotlight finalists showcased their products on one of the two stages of How to Web Conference 2015, got feedback, and had access to unique investment and distribution opportunities by attending a total number of 384 one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Besides, the startups competed for the 20.000 USD total cash prizes offered by IXIA, main partner of the program. The jury had the difficult mission to choose the winners of the competition out of 30 promising teams. Branch Track, Latvian startup that creates interactive customer simulations for scenario-based learning, won the Best Startup award in the competition.
The runner up was Jaboo, a set of smart wrist bands that accelerate and improve the athletes' techniques by tracking their speed, force or training patterns. Symme 3D, multifunctional Delta platform for 3D printing, PCB milling, and laser engraving won the IXIA Innovation Award, while SafeDrive, a mobile app that enhances road traffic safety by rewarding drivers for NOT texting while driving, received the award for the best pitch in show. The winners received 20.000 USD total cash prizes offered by IXIA, main partner of the program.
Startup Spotlight was organized as part of How to Web Conference 2015, the most important event on tech innovation and startups in South Eastern Europe. Organized in collaboration with Telekom Romania, Bitdefender, IXIA, and CyberGhost, the 6th edition of How to Web Conference 2015 took place on November 26 & 27 in Bucharest and brought together startup founders, product managers, developers, marketers and community leaders from all around the CEE.
How to Web brought in the same room some of the best & brightest tech minds in the region and beyond. These people connected during the conference, exchanged best practices and explored possible collaboration opportunities for the future. All these, using a wide array of dedicated networking activities set up for them: the "ask the expert" sessions, the roundtables, the exclusive networking cocktails and parties organized at the end of each day of the conference. These add up to How to Web Meet, the official mobile app of the conference, that enabled attendees to get in touch with others, set meetings, receive interests-based recommendations and make sure they don't miss a thing that was happening around.
Moreover, the innovators community had the unique opportunity to learn best practices from remarkable entrepreneurs & top-notch professionals that took the 2 stages of the conference and delivered 28 hands-on talks on topics of interest for the creators of products with disruptive potential at global scale. Add these to the 11 insightful panels & fireside chats approaching subjects relevant for the early-stage tech startups in the audience. The videos will the available soon on the How to Web YouTube channel.
Add these to the opportunities to discover the latest industry trends and how tech is reshaping the world. From exoskeletons and the world's first intelligent electric scooter, to the security device that protects all things connected to the internet, the How to Web attendees got the chance to test 12 innovative products in the gadget expo area, as well as see the 6 live product demos that took place on the main stage of the conference.
89 speakers, mentors & investors from all around the world… 28 remarkable keynotes & talks… 11 insightful panels… 30 promising startups from 9 CEE countries pitching on stage… 384 curated mentoring sessions… 21 communities presenting their initiatives during How to Web Community Spotlight… 8 "Ask the expert" sessions… 12 innovative products presented in the expo area… 6 live product demos on stage… 2 exclusive parties… A great vibe created by all the people there… How to Web in a nutshell looks promising and brings along great news for the tech professionals community, as well as for the ecosystem as a whole.
"How to Web is a community event that happens every year for the community, with the support of lots of people out there that join forces to make things happen. Our special thanks go to our trusted partners, ambassadors, volunteers, the entire How to Web team, as well as to each and every attendee. How to Web Conference 2015 was a blast thanks to all these people and we are confident that together we can make an even better conference next year", said Daniel Dragomir, CEO of How to Web Conference 2015.
How to Web Conference 2015 was an event organized in collaboration with Telekom Romania, Bitdefender, IXIA, and CyberGhost, with the support of Microsoft, Avangate, hub:raum, the Canadian Embassy in Romania, Mozilla, EIT Digital, Okapi Studio, and Softlayer, and the logistical partners Clever Taxi, mReady, Aqua Consulting, Mucca, mobilPay, Marketizator, Zelist Monitor, TradeAds Interactive, AdLemonade, Ciuc, Aqua Carpatica, and Domeniile Sâmburești.
How to Web Conference is the most important event on tech innovation and entrepreneurship in South Eastern Europe. The conference brings together startup founders, investors, accelerators, product managers, developers, online marketers & community leaders from all around the CEE. More details about this year's event and the updated speakers list are available online on the conference website.