How It Works
OUR MISSION IS TO RECOGNISE AND SUPER CONNECT THE WORLD’S BEST TECH FOR GOOD STARTUPS AND SCALEUPS
Empact Ventures and Hays have been working together since 2018
The focus of our work has been to connect tech startups and scale-ups together with corporates, SMEs, funders and the public sector to explore collaborations
We’ve co-designed 16 physical events in 9 cities and towns across the UK and 3 major virtual events
In January 2020, we co-designed the Hays Tech Startup report featuring Starling Bank, Cudo Ventures and Checkout.com as case studies
In September 2020, we co-founded and co-design the Super Connect for Good Competition with Hays across the UK and Ireland, later expanding into Europe in 2022
In March 2022, we co-designed the European Tech for Good report profiling the Top 100 Innovation Finalists from the Super Connect for Good 2021 competition
In June 2022, we will launch the Super Connect for Good 2022 Competition covering the UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia and New Zealand
Powered By
Empact Ventures are global super connectors who co-design initiatives, scout for world-class innovation for larger organisations and funders and open the right doors at the right time for tech startups and scale-ups.
Hays is a leading global professional recruiting group, the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America.
Tech for Good Criteria
- Tech for Good is a responsible approach to technology to address social, environmental and economic challenges. In this context, technology is built in a collaborative, user-led way and implemented with ethical consideration to ensure the rights of the people are respected.
- Your company must be able to demonstrate that you have created or aiming to create a social impact and/or are enhancing people’s lives through technology in any area including but not limited to education, healthcare, local communities, public sector services, the environment or others.
Stage of Company for Regional & Innovation Judging
If you’d like to compete to be a Regional Winner or an Innovation Vertical Winner you must be able to categorise yourself in one of the following stages of maturity
- Tech Startup (Seed Stage) with a working Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or beta version, the initial founding team with initial seed capital between £/€75,000 – £/€500,000 and ideally though not essential some traction or initial revenue
- Tech Scale-up (Series A) – with a scalable product, solid team with Series A funding between £/€1m – £/€10m with a growing user base traction and solid revenue
- Tech Scale-up (Series B) – with a scalable product, solid team with Series A funding between £/€10m – £/€50m with a growing user base traction and solid revenue
Pre-Seed Challenge
Separate from the above, we have a dedicated Pre-Seed Challenge for Startups open to any pre-seed startup with a working prototype or minimum viable product.
By selecting this option you will not be entered into any regional or innovation judging and will automatically be entered into the Pre-Seed Challenge where judges will decide if to shortlist you in the Top 10 invited to pitch in the Top 100 Innovation Showcase event.
As a Pre-Seed Startups we’d expect you to have a working prototype, little to no funding, traction or exposure; initial seed capital between £/€0 -75,000
Geographically Based
Your company must be based in one of our 10 regions set out in the above table and on your application form you should select the region of your legally registered office, not where you as the applicant is based
Innovation Verticals
Your company may apply to one or more of the Innovation verticals set out in the above tab.
Additional Rules not mentioned above
- All applicants will strictly observe the rules and terms
- Entrants must not enter work that has been banned by any regulatory bodies in any country
- All applications must be in English
- If you do not complete all questions, we cannot guarantee your applications will be selected for our judging process
- Please answer all questions accurately as a true reflection of your business and please note that we conduct a strict due diligence process to ensure this is correct
- Should your company wish to withdraw its application, this must be done by 7th August 2022
If you have any more questions, please email jemma@empact-ventures.com and see full terms and conditions HERE
Tech Startups and Scale-ups based in the following 10 Regions are eligible to apply to the competition
- North of England: Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Norfork and all other northern counties.
- South of England: Suffork, Cambridgshire, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Essex and all other southern counties (excluding London)
- London
- Wales and Scotland
- Isle of Ireland: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
- BeNeLux: Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium
- Southern Europe: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain
- Central and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine
- France
- DACH & Nordics: Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Lichenstein, Monaco, Switzerland
- Australia and New Zealand
- AI for Good
- EdTech
- HealthTech
- MedTech
- FinTech for Good
- FoodTech
- CimateTech
- Impact Challenge: Welcoming innovations that can contribute to supporting the crisis in Ukraine or supporting refugees leaving for Europe and beyond
- General Tech for Good (if you are in more than 2 verticals or none at all)
- Pre-Seed Challenge: Separate from the above, we have a dedicated Pre-Seed Challenge to any pre-seed startup with a working prototype or minimum viable product.
- By selecting this option you will not be entered into any regional or innovation judging and will automatically be entered into the Pre-Seed Challenge where our pre-seed partner will decide if to shortlist you in the Top 10 invited to pitch in the Top 100 Innovation Showcase on the 12th October 2022.
- As a Pre-Seed Startups we’d expect you to have a working prototype, little to no funding, traction or exposure; initial seed capital between £/€0 -75,000
- Pre-seed applicants are only eligible to apply to the Pre-seed Challenge only as long as they have a working prototype, website and company logo
If you have any more questions, please email jemma@empact-ventures.com
Super Connect for Good 2022 Competition
“We are delighted to have been chosen as the winners of Super Connect for Good 2021! It means a lot to have been chosen from amongst such high-quality companies. The whole competition has been a great experience. We’ve already had some really valuable “super connections” and look forward to more!”
Dr George Frodsham | Founder & CEO, 2021 OVERALL CHAMPION
The competition is only open to tech startups and scale-ups with a legally registered office in one of the countries listed in the above regions tab.
When submitting your application you tick the region where your company is legally registered and not where you as an individual are based in the world.
However, if your company is registered outside the UK, Ireland, Europe or Australia/New Zealand you can only apply if you have a legally registered subsidiary in the mentioned areas registered before 12th June 2022.
The original deadline for submitting applications is 18th July 2022 and this has now been extended to 7th August 2022 at 11pm (UK Time). You can submit applications anytime before this deadline.
Existing Applicants: If you have already submitted an application and you would like to update it, please email jemma@empact-ventures.com
-
Location and which region they are applying for
-
Innovation vertical(s) you are applying for (if applicable)
-
General Company details
-
Pitch Deck (required)
-
Demonstrate how your product can benefit society
-
Revenue (if applicable)
If you are selected as one of our Top 100 Innovation applicants, it is essential that you attend to pitch and exhibit our Top 100 Innovation Showcase on 12th October 2022.
If you are selected as one of our 10 Regional Winners, it is essential that you attend to pitch at our Virtual Final on 24th November 2022 taking place between 9 am and 1 pm UK time
If you have already submitted your application by or before the original deadline of the 18th July 2022 (11pm UK time) or before the extended deadline of 7th August 2022 (11pm UK Time) and you would like to update your answers or your pitch deck, please email jemma@empact-ventures.com.
Before submitting your application, we advise that you consider and review our optional Application Guidance below:
1. Example of a Successful Application: We’ve shared NeateBox’s application with their permission to illustrate how a successful application looks from a double award winner (Regional Winner for Scotland & HealthTech Winner 2020) here
2. Pitch Deck Guidance & Template: We’ve put together this document to share our guidance on what slides to include in your deck and the information that could be present on each (Note: This is an optional resource) here
3. Join our Application Support Call: If you’d like to find out more about the competition or ask any questions to the Empact Ventures team, please sign up to book yourself into our next call hosted by our CEO, Kosta Mavroulakis.
26th July 2022 (8:30am UK Time) REGISTER HERE
If you have any more questions, please email jemma@empact-ventures.com
You can apply for our Pre-Seed Innovation stream if and only if you have a working prototype with little to no funding, traction or exposure; initial seed capital between £/€0 -75,000)
Absolutely, we welcome all previous applicants, finalists and winners to apply again as there are both new opportunities to win (e.g. Impact Challenge) and you
For example, QV Bioelectronics was our North of England Winner 2020, and returned in 2021 before winning the same region again and also being selected as the MedTech Winner
Super Connections are made by email for all winners (x10 connections) and applicants (x5) and registered event attendees (x3) by one of the Empact Ventures’ team of Super Connectors before, during or after each of the events for those that opt-in on their registration / application form within 8 weeks after the virtual final.
You can submit an application by filling in our application form available here indicating the region you are based in and the innovation stream(s) you’d like to be considered for.
It is the winner’s responsibility is to ensure that they receive their prize from our partners. They may be obliged to follow additional criteria or provide extra information to the partner. This will need to be discussed with the partner.
Prizes will be issued between 1 – 12 months after winning. The timescale of using your prize is then at the discretion of the partner. Prizes are non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for monetary value. The value of the prices is final and binding and cannot be challenged or appealed.
Yes, you may apply to one or more Innovation Streams if your product falls into one of these areas
Only select General Tech For Good if you do not fit into any other innovation streams. Or please select if you fit into 2 or more innovations. If this does not apply to you please don’t select general vertical.
In our 2022 competition, we have a specific Impact challenge. If you feel your technologies could be adapted to support the Ukraine Crisis in any way and you would like the opportunity to showcase this please select this option when applying