The outcomes of the first online selection phase for the primary categories of the President Tech Award

IT Park, in collaboration with Plug and Play, has concluded the first stage of online selection in the primary categories of the President Tech Award, with a prize fund of $1 million.

Out of over 400 teams, 106 have been selected in five different categories (the list of teams is provided below):

• Artificial Intelligence Technologies — 16 teams
• Digital Technologies in Social Direction — 37 teams
• Information and Cybersecurity Technologies — 13 teams
• Entrepreneurship and Financial Technologies — 24 teams
• Computer and Mobile Game Programs — 16 teams

The selection of teams was based on the following key criteria: the presence of a minimum viable product (MVP) or a demonstration prototype, the level of technological innovation, commercial potential, and team competence.

Teams that were not selected will receive feedback from Plug and Play experts within a week, providing them with an opportunity to improve their projects and reapply in the following year.

Teams that made it to the shortlist must prepare and submit a three-minute video pitch in English by November 4th. The video should include a product demonstration, team introduction, and an explanation of the business model. This will enable Plug and Play experts to more thoroughly evaluate the projects and identify the top 10 teams in each category.

Evaluation of startups at this stage will be based on the following criteria: product innovation (30%), project potential (25%), clarity of the business model and project scalability (25%), as well as team expertise and experience (20%).

The jury will assess startups on a 10-point scale for each category, and the scores will be multiplied by the criterion's significance coefficient. The average score will determine the final outcome for each startup.

As a result of a more rigorous evaluation by Plug and Play experts, 10 teams in each of the five categories will be selected to present their startups on Demo Day to the Plug and Play experts.