Thirdweb, a startup that is building a unified subscription base for all online news sources, captured first prize at
the national finals of the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) competition held recently in Wellington, New Zealand. They
will advance to the next round of the global competition against national winners from 200 countries. Thirdweb allows
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“So far, the Entrepreneurship World Cup has been an incredible experience. We are honored to have taken out the top spot
in the NZ finals, and we are very excited to be a global finalist. Huge thanks so everyone behind the EWC!” said
Alistair McLeay, first prize finalist.
In preparation for the EWC Global Finals, Alistair McLeay will participate in an acceleration program that features
virtual training and one-to-one mentoring targeted at their company’s current stage and growth trajectory.
Thirdweb emerged victorious from a pool of 82 applicants – each receiving access to free virtual training services and
up to $25,000 in perks to help them take their venture to the next level.
Other finalists at EWC New Zealand included:ProFlow from Wellington (2nd place, advancing to global finals), a B2B SaaS startup that helps managers resolve issues
and unblock their teams. They have recently launched their public beta and have over 1,000 users.RH Innovation Ltd from Hamilton (3rd place), a startup that is developing an innovative, AI-driven solution that helps
horticulturalists get precise measurements of soil conditions in real-time.Tectonus from Auckland, a startup that provides innovative structural connectors that protect buildings against
earthquakes and aftershocks. Their technology has been used in greenfield projects in Canada and NZ, including Nelson
Airport.AgileData.io from Wellington, a startup that removes the complexity of collecting, combining, and presenting complex
data in a simply magical way.Meora from Auckland, a startup that is a data & AI-driven real-time health analytics platform to empower humanitarian healthcare for vulnerable populations and improve
the lives of millions around the world.
Judges for the competition were:Catherine Jones, CEO, Creative HQVeronica Stephenson, Founder & CEO, HumblebeeStephen Cummings, Co-Director, The Atom/Te Kahu o Te Ao ‘Innovation Space’Laura Reitel, Startup Programme Manager, Callaghan InnovationDave Moskovitz, Co-founder & Executive Chair, GEN New Zealand
More than 150,000 contestants from 200 countries entered the Entrepreneurship World Cup. The initiative combines a
broad-reaching pitch competition, aimed at ventures ranging from the idea stage to the growth stage, with a virtual
accelerator program to help all participants launch, strengthen, and scale their enterprises. Global Finalists will face
off against one another at the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October.
EWC is an initiative led by the Misk Global Forum, Global Entrepreneurship Network, and the Global Education and
Leadership Foundation with support from a collection of national and global partners, including the GSVlabs and
Entrepreneurs’ Organization.