Deadline: April 24, 2016 | Apply here
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Dates: May 25-26, 2016
Eligibility: International Startups in the Growth phase
Location: Netherlands

Nitro 2016: the Extreme Acceleration Event and Micro-Grant Special Edition

Startup Europe proudly launches Nitro: the extreme acceleration event. Startups in the Growth phase are eligible to apply for The Nitro: the Extreme Acceleration Event. The event is tailored to the specific needs of startups and it will take place on May 25 & 26, 2016.

Nitro: the Extreme Acceleration Event is intended to support startups in the growth phase by working intensively on the key points to scale their businesses with the support of world-class experts. In this event 20 selected startups will work for two intensive days with expert consultants, corporates and investors to gear up for the next episode in their development. Nitro is totally free of charge thanks to the support of the European Commission. The call for applications will be open until the 24th of April 2016.

During the event, 20 international mature startups will have the opportunity to work closely together with consultants from Capgemini Consulting, Europe Unlimited, Inovamais, and INTRASOFT on a wide range of topics receiving 1:1 coaching tailored to their specific needs.

The key point is that the startups themselves choose which topics they want to work on before, during, and after the event as follow-up support. They will have the opportunity to learn from the knowledge and experience of these four groups of consultants. Even more so, the startups will get opportunity to present their products and receive feedback from representatives of their actual target group and customers. In short, this is a great opportunity to apply the new insights from the consulting sessions against the standards of the market. All of this will be set up in a truly interactive way, no long presentations but real working sessions to create value for startups.

Additionally, a Special Edition of Micro-Grants has been open to support the participation to Nitro: the Extreme Acceleration Event. ePlus provides Micro-Grants of up to 500€ each, covering participation costs such as travel, accommodation and subsistence. Within the same application form, startups applying for Nitro: the Extreme Acceleration Event, can additionally request a micro-grants to cover part of their travel costs.

Some of the topics that will be covered are:

• Business Model Redesign
• Investment Readiness
• Organizational Design in Startups
• Innovation Management
• Access to European Public Funds

Eligibility

To be eligible for Nitro, startup should have the following characteristics:

• Being a mature startup that already has (small) customer base in the home market and is on the brink of international expansion
• Being classified as a web-entrepreneur
• Being based in Europe

Furthermore, within the same application, startups applying for Nitro can additionally require a Micro-Grants of up to 500 Euro to cover their travel costs for the event.
The Terms and conditions of Micro-Grants are available here. The following general rules apply:

• A European startup may apply for a Micro-Grant to attend Nitro: the Extreme Acceleration Event up to a grand total of €500 per startup.
• Micro-Grants cannot be attributed retroactively.
• A selected candidate who ultimately will not use the awarded Micro-Grant has 5 working days, counting from the results announcement date, to inform the consortium. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from following calls/rounds for Micro-Grant attribution.

Criteria

The evaluation and approval of applications received will be made upon total discretion of the ePlus Consortium and will take into consideration:

• the relevance of the activity towards the applicant’s background;
• the added-value of the activity for his/her startup growth or development;

Results will be communicated within 10 working days from the date of closure of the Call for Applications on the ePlus website. Selected participants will be notified via email.

• Conception: Entrepreneurs (wantpreneurs) with a business idea, but still pivoting on the business model.
• Incubation: Entrepreneurs with a resilient business model and plan.
• Acceleration: Startups that have secured a first financing round and/or first paying clients.

Nitro 2016 application

The application must be submitted through the F6S platform, apply here. The Deadline is April 24, 2016. The required entry fields are presented below:

• Startup identification;
• Startup members identification (up to 3 team members);
• Startup description (short pitch);
• Motivation behind the participation in Nitro 2016: the Extreme Acceleration Event
• Fields in which the startups require support from consultants

In case the startup is also applying for the micro-grants:

• Estimated participation cost;