On 3rd March 2016, Lausanne hosted the final of the 3rd edition of the Seedstars World competition. True to the values it upholds, Hublot has confirmed its commitment to nurturing the talent of future generations. As Official Timekeeper of the final of the Seedstars World competition, which will take place during the Seedstars Summit, the brand welcomes this bold, ambitious project, which aims to provide a platform to harness and promote promising business start-ups from emerging countries. The watch company awarded two prizes, the «Hublot Women Entrepreneur Prize » and the « Hublot Most Innovative company Prize ». A unique networking platform offering direct access to investors and decision makers.

Our support for the upcoming generation perfectly embodies our vision and our motto: No Innovation – No future. This endeavor requires an idea, talent, courage, a lot of time and, above all, passion. You can have all of these elements, but what really binds them is synchronicity. Seedstars World creates this synchronicity by introducing entrepreneurs to investors and decision makers who can ensure the success of their project. I hope that it is always passion that drives these budding talents, for passion never feels like work,” commented Jean-Claude Biver, Chairman of Hublot.

Hublot supports projects that reflect its motto: No Innovation – No future. It collaborates with internationally renowned institutions such as ECAL (Lausanne university of art and design) and the Swiss Education Group, and has developed a talent-nurturing platform under the aegis of the Hublot Design Prize. By becoming the Official Timekeeper of the 3rd edition of the Seedstars World competition, it is once again committing to supporting innovation, talent, ideas, courage and passion.

Seedstars World is a global competition that promotes the identification of new talent. Since 2013, it has organised a competition that aims to identify promising startups in emerging countries. Following a 7-month worldwide adventure, the 55 startups selected across 5 continents will come together in Lausanne. After 3 days of discussion and mentoring, 15 of the startup finalists had precisely 5 minutes to make their pitch and convince a jury of investors from around the world. And Hublot was timing those few precious minutes that could change the fortunes of these startups. They were competing to be crowned “Seedstars World Global Winner”, winning investment of up to CHF 500,000. Other sectors including travel/tourism and space did also receive investment and bursaries.

The winners for this year are:? The Hublot Most Innovative Company Prize – Rahul Koduri, Eora3D, Australia? The Eora 3D scanner is a high-precision 3D scanner that leverages the optics and processing power of a modern smartphone to create 3D models in just a few minutes.

The Hublot Women Entrepreneur Prize – Loan Duong, Omniup, Morocco? She is a women entrepreneur from Morocco that is providing an innovative advertising solution on smartphones: free wi-fi service on public places against video ads & web interaction.

“Seedstars positions itself at the center of innovation, emerging countries and technology. In 2020, 80% of smartphones will be used in emerging countries. These countries are increasingly becoming synonymous with innovation, and we wish to celebrate these entrepreneurs who defy all obstacles and work tirelessly to make a difference in their respective regions. Hublot is the perfect Timekeeper for the Seedstars World final,” stated Alisée de Tonnac, Seedstars World CEO.