Who will win €50,000? Last chance for AI startups

From healthcare to defense: AI helps society move forward. More and more entrepreneurs are taking the plunge and starting their own AI companies. This year, we see many promising startups participating in the second edition of the AI Pitch Competition, where the winners will receive support to realize their mission. Registration closes on Friday night. “There are some real gems among the dozens of entries,” says Martha Behan, who is leading the selection process.

November 13 is the big day. That's when the winners of the latest edition of the AI Pitch Competition will be announced. It is organized by the province of North Brabant, Erasmus Enterprise, Braventure, and IO+. The winner will receive €50,000, while the runners-up will receive €35,000 and €25,000, respectively. The public can also vote: the winner of the Audience Award will receive €10,000.

No unnecessary luxury

This funding is no unnecessary luxury for startup AI companies. “We want to do more for startups,” says Matthijs Bulsink of Braventure. Together with a panel of experts, he selects the finalists. “There is often a gap between the initial funding and the moment when a startup can really grow. This program is for startups that solve a clear problem and have a good idea of what their product will look like and who their customers will be. The funding helps them get started on creating a scalable product.”

Many startups use the money to validate their results or to develop a prototype. This is also the case for TouchPulse: last year's winner, according to Behan, community manager at Erasmus Enterprise. TouchPulse has developed a navigation app for the visually impaired. “After further developing their prototype, partly thanks to the funding from the AI Pitch Competition, the startup has made great strides: they moved to the US and joined a new accelerator. It's great to see how a startup with just an idea comes to us and then grows into a successful company.”

In addition to funding, participating in the competition offers many other benefits, Bulsink adds. “We give startups the tools they need and, perhaps more importantly, we introduce them to a broad network of enthusiastic people who open doors for founders and their innovations.”

AI for administration and museum guides

This year, there are dozens of applications again. The entrepreneurs come from all corners of the country, from Eindhoven to Amsterdam. The products they are working on are very diverse. Behan: “One is working on a system that makes administrative tasks easier, another on an AI museum guide. I am very curious to see who will be in the finals this year.”

Exactly how many finalists will remain is still unknown. In any case, the selected startups will not be thrown in at the deep end right away: “We start with an introduction and several fun workshops to prepare them well for the competition,” says Behan.

Friday night is the deadline

Friday night is the deadline for registration, and a panel of experts will then get to work on the new list of startups. The finalists will be chosen from this list. Startups can still register – you can do so here. Behan concludes: "If you're too late, feel free to give me a call. We'll see if there's something we can do. Except on Saturdays, because I'm selling my own products at the market then!" (laughs).

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