South Europe Startup Awards (SESA)

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the jury members for their incredible dedication and hard work in the competition. Your expertise and insights have been invaluable in selecting and supporting the most promising startups and founders. Meet @Jean-Raymond Naveau, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at OpenThink! Jean-Raymond Naveau is a visionary thinker, creator, and advisor with a strong presence in both the EU and Silicon Valley ecosystems. He serves as an Advisory Board member for CDC Design, Transit’Insert, and Brightwall, leveraging his expertise in IMS (Innovation Management System) and B2B Software Product Strategy, Management & Marketing. As a global juror for the Global Startup Awards in 2021 and 2023, Jean-Raymond actively mentors startups through initiatives like Start it Accelerate @ KBC. His leadership extends to innovation, i.e. to a system that transforms a real problem into a game-changer for sustainability or disruption purpose, with his role as at Chief Innovation Officer at OpenThink Outcomes. Currently, Jean-Raymond is spearheading Adaptability Intelligence (AI) initiatives to empower innovators, startups and business leaders focused on creating the conditions that make their goals inevitable and expanding their footprint across Southern Europe and LATAM. Thank you, Jean-Raymond, for your dedication to innovation and mentoring in the startup ecosystem! 🚀

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the jury members for their incredible dedication and hard work in the competition. Your expertise and insights have been invaluable in selecting and supporting the most promising startups and founders. A special mention goes to Carl Hinrichsen, who built Meta’s global Channel Sales program for digital advertising from the ground up, scaling it across 40 countries. Carl’s entrepreneurial leadership within Meta, and his extensive experience in direct sales, product partnerships, and business development, have been instrumental in guiding our selection process. He has shared his expertise in product and e-commerce, having been among Amazon’s original Kindle team members in Europe, launching Kindle e-readers in southern Europe and building the accessories marketplace. His teams’ global reach and expertise in driving partner selection, enablement, service, infrastructure, risk, and compliance have been pivotal. Carl is committed to building partnership ecosystems and actively supporting startups and founders in expanding their success internationally. Carl’s charisma and vision empower his clients, teams and partners to achieve excellence. His commitment to developing effective managers, experts, and change-makers has set a high standard for our competition. Additionally, Carl’s ties to Southern Europe and his recent contributions to the ecosystem have greatly enriched our competition. He actively supports startups in expanding internationally, including an AI-powered language learning startup and a digital media startup with founders in Portugal. Carl’s connections to Barcelona, where he studied at ESADE Business School and worked with local NGOs and startups, highlight his deep engagement with the region’s vibrant startup community. Thank you once again for your dedication and hard work. Together, we are driving innovation and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs!

With over +200,000 Public Votes received on the regional level alone, we are happy to announce the beginning of the Global Round and that Global Public Voting is officially open now: Cast Your Vote Here: https://lnkd.in/dvKgJsX2 We have received 30,000 nominations in Edition 10, out of which, the following Global Finalists are now to compete for one last round -the global round! Check the full list of Global Finalists here: https://lnkd.in/degEwTqJ The winners of this Global Round are announced on Stage in Turkey during an Award Show as part of the Global Grand Finale Days: https://lnkd.in/dN9WiV6n

Congratulations to Dedomena AI from Spain 🇪🇸for being honored as regional winner for Best Web3.0 / AI Startup of the Year at the South Europe Startup Awards! Find more about this edition and the list of all winners here: https://lnkd.in/di2EQMkY

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Congratulations to Windcredible from Portugal 🇵🇹for being honored as regional winner for Best GreenTech of the Year at the South Europe Startup Awards! Find more about this edition and the list of all winners here: https://lnkd.in/e5zNjHzP

Congratulations to Claudia Mendes Silva from Portugal 🇵🇹for being honored as regional winner for Diversity Role Model of the Year at the South Europe Startup Awards! Find more about this edition and the list of all winners here: https://lnkd.in/eCm89G5h

Congratulations to Vortex Coworking from Spain 🇪🇸 for being honored as regional winner for Best Coworking Space of the Year at the South Europe Startup Awards! Find more about this edition and the list of all winners here: https://lnkd.in/eGWFJENx

Congratulations to Eliza Panagiotidou from Greece 🇬🇷 for being honored as regional winner for Ecosystem Hero of the Year at the South Europe Startup Awards! Find more about this edition and the list of all winners here: https://lnkd.in/e7zcFREn