Samsung AUT Tech has held its 11th Cycle of startup acceleration digital campaign with a specific focus on supporting digital health sector startups.
Farhad Hejrat, Senior Professional/Head of Group, Corporate Marketing G/ Iran Branch, Samsung Electronics, Ali Seraj, Creative Art Director at Lemon Experiential Marketing, describes the event below.
Tell us about the 11th Cycle.
Farhad Hejrat: Samsung AUT Tech is a specialized accelerator that attracts startups in health, education, energy, and the environment. Each year the center works with different startups across these fields. However, the 11th cycle was dedicated specifically to digital health in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
In organizing this event, we wanted to offer digital solutions through digital platforms to support health care workers in the country. Through the acceleration event, we strived to discover startups that could provide constructive solutions for the pandemic era, including solutions to help care for various patients, telemedicine, aftercare, and lifestyle, and facilitate following up on their care period.
In this cycle, we received about 180 proposals, four of which were ultimately selected and entered into Samsung AUT Tech.
What distinguished this cycle from previous cycles?
Farhad Hejrat: Since the center felt no limitations in its fields of work in previous years, it received up to 700 applications. But the number of applications dwindled this year as the 11th cycle specifically focused on digital health. But we’ve been very happy with the results considering the conditions. Teams need to gather in a place physically to develop ideas and proposals, something that was not applicable during the pandemic. We hope that the results of this cycle could help our health workers in the current difficult situation.
What solutions did Lemon offer to organize the event?
Ali Seraj: To launch the digital campaign, Lemon conducted research on accelerators like Samsung AUT Tech, which are equity-free accelerators and support digital health startups. After that, we designed and developed the key visuals for this cycle, including motion graphics and static artworks to introduce the four pillars of the 11th cycle. We also conducted email marketing to inform a wide range of people potentially interested in startups, interviewed key leaders in digital health on our Instagram, Telegram, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts in order to attract interested startups, and then started the campaign. We also extended our efforts by offering two promotions on Instagram and Telegram in order to attract a larger number of students and young people interested in this field.
From the 180 applications we received, 10 top teams were selected by our panel of judges and invited to the center. Ultimately four teams were selected, who started their first workday on December 20, which coincided with Yalda Night.
Launched three years ago through a collaboration between Samsung Electronics and the research department of Amirkabir University in Tehran, Samsung AUT Tech has throughout its 10 acceleration cycles supported more than 60 startups in the stages of idea evaluation, product development, and capital attraction. Teams accepted into Samsung AUT Tech can enjoy a host of services, including but not limited to shared workspaces, financial and technical support, consultation and education, and introduction to credible investors. Throughout all stages, Samsung AUT Tech’s support of the startups is free of charge and the center will ultimately have no ownership of its supported startups.
source: dnaunion