Overview
The GIST Tech-I Competition is an annual competition for science and technology entrepreneurs from emerging economies worldwide. Aspiring innovators submit their ideas and startups online which are then reviewed by experts and voted on by the global voting public in order to determine the finalists. New this year, U.S. Department of State is inviting all former GIST Tech-I finalists to participate in the program to recruit and mentor the next generation of science and tech entrepreneurs.
New this year, past GIST Tech-I finalists will play an active role in soliciting, selecting and mentoring the 2018 Tech-I participants. Throughout the course of the competition, the past finalists will function as Alumni Mentors who work with competitors to improve their ideas and perfect their pitch. New 2018 applicants will be able to choose which Alumni Mentor they want to work with when they apply to the competition. Alumni Mentors will then select the best applications from the 2018 applicant pool to move on to the semi-finals. Those semi-finalists will then compete in a global public vote. The top 10 semi-finalists with the most public votes, along with their Alumni Mentors will advance to the Tech-I finals during the 2018 Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. At the finals, competing entrepreneurs will pitch their startups to a global audience with the chance to win prizes and seed capital.
Since 2011, innovators from around the globe have showcased their science and technology ventures to the world through GIST Tech-I Competitions. Thousands of expert reviews have taken place and the online voting public has cast over 1 million votes in support of these talented young innovators.
The GIST initiative is led by the U.S. Department of State, and the Tech-I competition is implemented by AAAS.
Applications for Tech-I 2018 are now being accepted.
Applicants must meet ALL of the following eligibility requirements:
The applicant must be 18-40 years old on the application deadline, December 28, 2017.
The applicant must be a citizen of at least one of the 136 GIST-eligible emerging economies.
The applicant must not hold dual-citizenship or permanent resident status in a non-GIST economy.
The applicant must not submit more than one application per GIST Tech-I competition year.
The applicant must not be a previous GIST Tech-I finalist who traveled to and competed in the GIST Tech-I Finals at GES.
In addition to meeting the applicant requirements above, applications must to be for Ideas or Startups that met ALL of the following requirements:
The application must be the original work of the Idea or Startup applicant.
The Idea or Startup must be developing an innovative science or technology solution with market potential in a GIST-eligible economy.
The Idea or Startup must be for-profit. Applications from non-profit ventures or NGOs are not eligible and will not be reviewed.
The Startup must be less than three years old.
The Idea or Startup must be, at least in part based, in a GIST-eligible economy.
The Idea or Startup must be developing or selling products and services that use its own innovations in science and technology. Applications from organizations that buy and resell technologies will not be reviewed.
The Idea or Startup must not submit more than one application per GIST Tech-I competition year.
Visit the official website here to apply.
