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Seedstars World , the contest that seeks to impact the lives of people in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship, announced the five finalist startups that will compete on May 20 for $ 500,000 in equity funds.
Pegasi , from Venezuela, will represent Latin America in the final round together with startups from the other continents : Fulfillment Bridge (Tunisia), Finology (Malaysia), IMAN (Uzbekistan) and Ladda (Nigeria).
“These five startups have shown that no matter how tough times may be, innovation remains at the forefront. We can’t wait to see them at the Grand Final, ”said Daria Khlopova, leader of the Seedstars World competition.
Image: Seedstars World
A new format for a new normal
Generally, the final of Seedstars World is held in person in Lausanne, Switzerland ( here the Entrepreneur in Spanish coverage of the last competition ), but due to sanitary restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it promoted the celebration of a virtual format.
In the period of the call, more than 4,000 applications were received worldwide, where only 94 new companies were chosen to participate in the local stage of the competition. These local winners were then put to the test where they participated in the Seedstars Program: Investment Readiness, a modern and personalized program that helps startups prepare for investment. See the list of the 94 local selections .
On the local stage, only 20 startups advanced to the regional finals of which only five finalist startups were selected to participate in the last stage of the competition and have a chance to win the Grand Prize of $ 500,000 in capital investment.
Image: Seedstars World
Pegasi, the Venezuelan startup that represents Latin America
The finalist startup that will represent the Latin American continent in the Grand Final is Pegasi de Venezuela.
70% of health information in Latin America is still on paper, causing complications for 1 in 10 regional hospitalized patients. This startup aims to solve that problem by creating a low-cost “EHR” (Electronic Health Record) that works offline and online, rendering data anonymous and allowing monitoring of big data on epidemic diseases. Pegasi makes health information accessible, clear and useful for patients, physicians and service providers in the developing world.
Pegasi will attend along with the other four finalist startups from: Middle East and Africa (MENA), Asia, Central Europe and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Africa.
Fulfillment Bridge (MENA | Tunisia) – A cloud-based global e-commerce logistics platform offering storage on 4 continents, fulfillment, shipping, returns management and more. Fulfillment Bridge offers a global compliance network in 14 countries powered by Artificial Intelligence to help online sellers optimize logistics and manage exceptions.
Finology (Asia | Malaysia) – In this day and age, getting a financial product should be a perfect experience. Except it really isn’t. Finology solves this by enabling seamless access to financial products through the use of our technology and ready digital distribution channels.
IMAN (CEE | Uzbekistan) – The bank penetration rate remains at less than 7% in Uzbekistan due to a lack of Islamic products, high cost of capital, and poor user experience. IMAN offers a “Shariah” compliant “PoS” solution that enables customers to buy whatever they want from retailers, funded by P2P (Peer to Peer) investors.
Ladda (Africa | Nigeria) – Ladda addresses the problem of lack of financial literacy and lack of easy access to micro investment opportunities for people with low to middle income. Ladda provides access to investment for retail investors in order to democratize access to investment and provide financial literacy.
In addition to the Grand Prize funding of $ 500,000; The competition will also award prizes to the best startups in different categories: EdTech (Education Technology) courtesy of HEG Friborg, ICT Accessibility by MADA, Women’s Empowerment, Climate Change and Child Development.
Seedstars will broadcast the final on May 20, 2021 at 7:00 am Mexico City time through The Next Web. You can follow the transmission to support the Latin American team on this page .
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/370721