Six Czech Start-ups Setting Out to Gain Experience Abroad

23 Jan. 2014 | CzecnInvest | The firms will travel to Singapore and the United States thanks to the CzechAccelerator project.

Six start-up companies, which registered in Call VI of the CzechAccelerator 2011-2014 project last year, have successfully completed the selection process. In the coming weeks and months, they will thus depart for business incubators abroad and gain new experience in Singapore, Boston or Silicon Valley.

“In previous calls the programme supported more than thirty firms, which are now being joined by these new, interesting projects,” says Marian Piecha, CEO of CzechInvest. “Firms involved in, for example, modern language instruction, 3D printing and a website monitoring system using thermal maps have got the opportunity to establish themselves abroad.”

MetaCell s.r.o., which developed a test capable of identifying cancer and thus helping with the selection of the appropriate treatment, will have the opportunity to develop its business in Boston. “We would like to establish new contacts with potential investors there,” says the company’s executive director, Kateřina Teplá. “Upon our return, we want to continue promoting the product especially in EU countries and in North America. We also want to collaborate with pharmaceutical firms in Europe and oncologists in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Slovakia on projects that will facilitate pharmacological and clinical application of the product.”

OPPI Czech firms will have free use of office spaces in the incubators, as well and free entry to networking events. CzechInvest will also contribute aid to them for professional seminars, mentoring, protection of intellectual property and housing. At the end of 2013, representatives of the companies underwent legal and marketing training in Prague, where they met with previous project participants, among other activities.

The CzechAccelerator 2011-2014 project is co-financed from the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation 2007-2013. An overview of the companies selected within Call VI and all previous calls of the project is available here.

In December 2013 CzechInvest issued an additional, supplementary call for submission of registrations in the project. Business incubators on the East Coast of the United States and in Singapore and Israel will be opened to the selected participants, who will be able to depart in the period from April to June 2014. Those interested in registering can do so until 31 January 2014. More information is available on the CzechAccelerator 2011-2014 website here.