Tick-tock, that’s the sound of a deadline approaching. There’s only a few days left to register your innovation for the Blue Tulip Awards. Known previously as the Accenture Innovation Awards, this year-round program is a unique chance to accelerate your business, along with the most promising startups, innovations and important corporates. For those not quite convinced yet, we’ll list 5 reasons why you can’t let your innovative idea miss this opportunity.
1: Connect with the right people:
Joining the Blue Tulip Awards is like stepping into the spotlight on an international stage. You’ll get to pitch your product or idea to an internationally renowned jury and will be able to connect with the right companies or persons that can help your business reach the next stage. Babak Mohammad Mirzaie can attest to that. His Eindhoven-based startup Expivi is looking to disrupt the retail world by using AR and 3D-tech. In 2017 they won the work and living category of the Accenture Innovation Awards. This instantly opened a lot of doors, says Mirzaie: “You meet great C-level people who are almost impossible to get in touch with. They can introduce you to the right person and help you to grow.”
2: Think internationally
The Blue Tulip Award is an international affair. Not only will it have participants from all over Europe competing. It will also have many opportunities to connect with potential international investors, learn from thought leaders and connect with multinationals. Coen Janssen, co-founder and Director of Business Intelligence of Dutch startup Hiber, had world domination on his mind when his low cost IoT network won the Accenture Innovation Awards in 2017: “At that point in time, we were trying to create a global company, and Accenture is a globally recognized brand. That’s why we took part.”
3: Pave the way for funding
Everyone with a great innovative idea knows that the struggle to survive often revolves around money. So the hunt for good investors is always on. Performing well at the Blue Tulip Awards can make this hunt a lot easier. During the event, there’s plenty of opportunity to connect to investors looking to jump aboard. And the exposure gained during one of the final rounds, will put your business even more in the spotlight. Don’t take our word for it, ask Dutch startup Sponsh. Initially, they developed their revolutionary solution to extract water from the air on their own dime, along with subsidies and grants. Winning the first prize at the Blue Tulip Awards got them a subordinated innovation loan from the Rabobank “It’s a high risk, high impact loan which meant we could live another year,” says Lourens Boot, co-founder of Sponsh.
4: Be blown away by the judges
The competition has eight different categories, ranging from climate, education, finance and health, to living/working, mobility, nutrition and security. Each category has its own jury, with deep knowledge and years of experience on that very subject. Depending on the category, joining the Blue Tulip Awards will likely have you pitch your idea to board members, investment principals and specialists at for instance Shell, Heineken, Liberty Global or ASR. It left startup Safened, which won the award in the security category last year, very impressed. “We entered the awards because Accenture is quite professional,” said their co-founder Krik Gunning. “They have an excellent reputation and high-quality judges. I had no idea how much interest it would attract. There was so much energy throughout the whole process. I was really blown away”.
5: Join an impressive hall of fame
A great event produces great winners. By joining the Blue Tulip Awards there’s a chance your innovation will end up in an impressive hall of fame. It’ll join the ranks with startups such as Delft Hyperloop, which is currently hard at work making the Hyperloop-dream a reality all over the world. Past winners also include Bux, which is making the stock market available and comprehensible for a wide audience, and Blendle, the ‘Spotify for journalism’ that made the jump to the USA not long ago.
Sign up now, not much time left
Sounds good? Well, there’s not much time left to join. Registration closes in less than 4 days, you have until Sunday, November 17th. So head on over to the registration page for the Blue Tulip Awards, sign up and give your startup the chance to be part of this unique experience.
This article is produced in collaboration with Accenture. Read more about our partnering opportunities.