Romanian start-up Plant an App wins EBRD Innovation Challenge

 

According to an EBRD press release sent to AGERPRES on Thursday, Plant an App is a low-code platform in the cloud that allows the development and launch of web applications 40 times faster. The platform allows developers to get involved earlier in the project with operational specifications, while facilitating user involvement in the technical development process. The system allows any small and medium-sized company to create, edit and manage online web applications with a minimum of knowledge or no programming knowledge at all.

 

The jurors chose from 226 participants from 30 countries in which the Bank invests. The competition targeted start-ups with great scaling potential which innovated their business models in response to the coronavirus pandemic and was organised entirely online.

 

"Winners share mixed prizes with a total value of 500,000 US dollars, consisting of cash reimbursement and funds for consulting under the Star Venture programme, including business diagnosis and individualised personal counseling, mentoring and access to international investors. Other winners are Otsimo from Turkey, an educational platform for children with special needs, Fazla Gada from Turkey, a surplus management platform that helps mark expiration of products, 1Trolley from Egypt, a consumer goods delivery service, and EMBIO Diagnostics Ltd from Cyprus, a portable chemical analysis device that can detect dangerous chemicals in food within minutes," the release reads.

 

The EBRD has been promoting and supporting start-ups in its countries of operations for over 25 years through investment and consulting tools, including the Star Venture Programme, the Early-Stage Innovation Facility and the Venture Capital Investment Programme.

 

The Start-up Innovation Challenge was supported by donor funds from the Republic of Korea and, in Egypt, by the EBRD Small Business Impact Fund (Korea, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, the United States, Sweden and TaiwanBusiness - EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund).