Vlad Andriescu
The 2021 pitching session brought together 22 teams from 5 countries (Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia) who had the opportunity to pitch in front of the Future Makers jury: Andreea Porojan (Fintech Partnerships Manager, Raiffeisen Bank Romania); Bogdan Micu (CEO Alpin Holding), Paris Nikolopoulos (General Manager Coca-Cola Romania), Alexandru Murărescu (Specialist Marketing, Enel România) & Ciprian Stanescu (President, Social Innovation Solutions).
The 4 winning teams received prizes amounting to 20.000 euros and access to a global network of entrepreneurs, innovators, and events that will offer them ongoing opportunities to expand, grow and be part of an innovative and interconnected business environment. The pitches took place on day 3/7 of Future Summit, a large global online event organized by Social Innovation Solutions and dedicated to future trends, sustainability, and tech impact on society.
The 10.000 euro and ”Future Makers Grand Winner” title goes to TOBORO - a Romanian rental peer-to-peer platform that allows users to borrow day-to-day items. It brings borrowers and lenders together on a platform meant to encourage exchange, produce a change in consumer behavior and facilitate the transition to a circular economy.
The 2nd place and a 5.000 Award was offered to swim.me - a smart wearable device designed by a team of engineers in Greece, for the orientation of blind swimmers in the pool. The system consists of a swimming cap and goggles and is intended for use in training conditions, in the swimming pool.
The 3rd prize, of 3.000 euro went to another Greek startup - Dataphoria, the first data-for-good, impact-driven startup in the region. This is a platform with data analytics & AI tools specifically tailored to sustainability-minded businesses, government bodies, and nonprofits. The platform collects & unifies internal & external data, optimizes their operations, and automates their impact measurement towards a more sustainable world.
The 4th place (2000 euro) went to DOIT, a Romanian youth app where young people develop their skills by doing practical challenges.
Future Makers is organized by Social Innovation Solutions, supported by Raiffeisen Bank Romania & Enel România, and co-organized with Global Shapers Bucharest Hub.
Social Innovation Solutions is an organization offering consultancy and support for NGOs and corporations on social impact, future trends and innovation. SIS manages a variety of educational programs and business competitions like Social Impact Award, Future Makers, Impact Accelerator & Future Youth Summit, conversation platforms like Future Summit, Future Talks and Future Magazine as well as executive education in foresight through Future Lab.
