Techstars is one of the top accelerators in the world. Thousands of founders have gone through their acceleration programs and leveraged growth from it.
In developing as a startup it's important to get excellent mentorship and to make connections outside Georgia that will help you throughout your life.
Two Georgian startups were accelerated at Techstars Berlin and have some great results from the experience. Join Shota Giogorbiani from Optio.ai and Lasha Antadze from Shelf.network will share their experiences going overseas for venture acceleration and Francis Goodenday, General Manager EMEA & APAC at Techstars, to talk about their program and expansion.
NOTE: the venue is very small so the event is intended mostly for serious startups considering applying to accelerators.
Techstars
Mentor
Techstars
Mentor
Shelf.Network
Founder
Optio.Ai
Co-Founder/CEO
Key roles include:
- Tetra Pak: Cluster Vice President for Greater Middle East (7 subsidiaries for 25 markets) based in Turkey and UAE, and for Oceania based in Australia
- Pepsi-Cola International: European Marketing Director based in the UK, Marketing Director for Germany, Austria, Switzerland based in Germany
- Johnson & Johnson: Marketing roles based in Europe, the USA, and UAE; responsible i.a. for North Africa and Arabian Gulf
Highlights include:
- Turnover from EUR 0.5 to 1.4 bn while managing up to 1400 FTE
- 3 factories: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan; Stand-by facility in Iran; investment in Supply chain EUR 175 m
- Subsidiaries: Management, restructuring and business process optimization; new subsidiaries in Iran and Eastern Mediterranean (East Med)
Lasha Antadze is the TechStars 2018 Graduate & Founder of the decentralized e-commerce solution “Shelf.Network”. Startup serves as an infrastructure for cross border synchronized trades among multiple online marketplaces. In 9 month, Shelf quickly gained momentum around the world and won innovation award as the best real world use cases of blockchain technology with $1M investments terms. Shelf raised another $1.1M from Japanese largest industry player and secured 5 year license contract to distribute its tech for the South-East Asian countries. The startup awards include:
• Frontier Innovation Award - the Best Real World application of blockchain technology;
• Winner of BlockShow 2018 - Oscar Award as the best European blockchain startup;
• Winner of Automeckanika Innovation Award - largest automotive faire;
• Finalist of the best global re-marketing solution for FleetEurope, among the biggest industry names such as BCA, Manheim and Autorola.
Entrepreneur, Software Project Manager, Consultant, Development Lead & Developer with 11+ years of experience in developing, leading & delivering enterprise software & web solutions with a deep understanding of Software development life cycle & architecture.
Master of business administration in IT, Bachelor of Mathematics.
Fluent in English and Russian languages.
Vinocorn & Georgian Wine Finder
Tbilisi Director
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Startup Grind Tbilsi
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Startup Grind Tbilisi
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