Are you a scientist? An entrepreneur? A researcher? An innovator? A student? Are you just someone who has a great idea or startup company and are looking to change the world? Whoever you are, if you have a great idea then GIST Tech-I is for you! The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the U.S. Department of State are taking applications for the 2016 GIST Tech-I competition.
Your idea or startup can be an invention, a product, a service, an app, any combination of these, or something entirely unique. Your idea can be in any sector whether it be agriculture, ICT, health, energy, or even aerospace! This year 134 emerging economies including Nigeria are eligible to apply.
Before you apply, you should first confirm that you are eligible to compete. The basic eligibility requirements are that:
- You must be a citizen of a GIST eligible emerging economy; and
- You must be between the ages of 18-40 years old on January 15, 2016.
For a full list of the eligibility criteria including rules on teams, please consult the Program Announcement. Once you have established that you are eligible to apply, you will next need to get together a few promotional materials for your application including: a short summary, an executive summary, a 90 second promotional video.
The following criteria should be applied to help you to decide which category you fit in:
Idea Stage Application
- The entrepreneur has research or a technology with commercialization potential.
- The entrepreneur has not started a business yet and is willing to start a business.
- The entrepreneur has defined the qualifications of a management team needed to execute the idea.
- The entrepreneur has started to identify advisors.
- The entrepreneur has started market research.
Startup Stage Application
- The venture is for profit
- The venture is less than three years old from date of startup.
- The venture has some funding already—either through revenue, through external financing (from public or private sources), or a combination of both.
- The venture has a product or service that is currently in a testing or pilot stage and that can be made available for commercial release.
Thirty applicants will make it to the finals where they can pitch their ventures to a global audience at the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley. Winners of GIST Tech-I will receive seed capital prizes and all finalists will receive three months of mentoring. Application deadline is January 15, 2016.
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