“UPCELERATOR” IS THE FIRST ONLINE BUSINESS ACCELERATOR SUPPORTED BY THE TEKWILL PROJECT

Startups in Moldova can get investments up to $10,000 in the first online business accelerator known as “Upcelerator”. The project is dedicated to existing startups as well as to talented future entrepreneurs who have business ideas with a sustainable business model and growth potential. The accelerator is developed by the Association “Dreamups”, an accelerator of innovation and entrepreneurship that connects participants with the best mentors and experts virtually. This initiative is supported by the TEKWILL project with the financial support of its development partners USAID and Sweden as well as EFSE Entrepreneurship Academy along with the general partner, Orange System.

Ana Chirița, director of the TEKWILL project stated: “The TEKWILL project supports a prioritization of the development of entrepreneurship in Moldova through dedicated programs of acceleration, mentoring, consulting, expertise and investments. It is entrepreneurs who have the courage to adopt innovations and use their ideas intelligently on the basis of which they build businesses with local, regional impact, and – why not? – international. “Upcelerator” is a unique program to accelerate technology businesses, and by supporting such programs, we offer startups access to an entire ecosystem which includes business founders, investors, consultants and the best mentors around the world.”

Everything you need to know about “Upcelerator”

At the initial stage 75 applications with business ideas were submitted to the program.In order to select the best concepts, various factors were taken into account including the innovative component and the ability to execute the idea, the problem it solves, and also the landmarks of business development. Forty-one teams from five countries were selected to participate in the program, 27 of them are currently active. For four months, entrepreneurs will benefit from the support of over 30 international and local mentors, will have approximately 500 hours of mentoring, and will perform 200 tasks. At the end of September, the founders with the best ideas will have the opportunity to receive investments worth $10,000 each for business development.

The business ideas of the participants in the program are from various fields such as agriculture, medicine, education, and finance.

1. Solutions for the medical field: digital application dedicated to people diagnosed with diabetes; mobile application for viewing medical history and purchasing insurance for traveling abroad; and application for the administration of dental clinics.

2. Education solutions: application dedicated to families who need childcare for a few hours; application dedicated to students who are preparing for the baccalaureate exams; platform dedicated to online consulting and training, customized for the development of management skills and implementation of ideas.

3. Solutions in the field of agriculture: a platform where landowners will be able to rent and lend agricultural land, orchards, vineyards, etc .; a digital solution for the world’s fruit and vegetable producers to clean and pack their products in an environmentally friendly way, thus maximizing the possibilities for marketing and expanding revenues; and a platform to support sustainable aquatic biodiversity.

4. Financial / legal solutions: application that allows smart crediting of money for a circle of trust: friends, relatives, family; platform for business consulting services – business analysis of the supply chain, market research and automation of robotic processes (RPA); an online lending bank without intermediaries, an online application that will allow users easy and cheap access to the legal procedure for collecting debts.

5. IT and entrepreneurship solutions: digital solution that will give agencies the opportunity to interact with customers through the use of VR technology; brand strategy consulting platform; an application that includes restaurants from several countries; web platform that includes the transportation and delivery of food products, but also the development of applications in this regard; digital marketing solutions, etc.
Other ideas of the young participants refer to mobile applications dedicated to the field of human resources and online commerce.

The TEKWILL project – The revolution begins!

The TEKWILL project is implemented by the National Association of ICT Companies, with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development and Sweden. “Tekwill” was created in 2017 as a Center of Excellence of the ICT sector in Moldova, with the main purpose of aligning the field with current market requirements. Aiming to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the IT industry and other strategic sectors of the economy, the center expanded its fields of activity, becoming in 2019 a complex project at national level, with the slogan “The revolution begins!”

The basic objective of the TEKWILL Project, as a platform dedicated to the progress of the IT sector, is to ensure a major impact on the economic development of the country, by improving the entrepreneurial and educational capacities of society, but also by increasing the research and development potential of educational institutions, in line with the demand in the IT market.