Anna Maria Richards
In its 3rd and last Open Call, in 2021, 10 early stage DLT/blockchain startups from all over the EU and H2020 Associated Countries have been selected to a 6-month immersive acceleration programme. From those, 6 have made it to the Pilot stage of the programme and were given the chance to test, validate and implement their blockchain-based solutions by partnering with end-user SMEs, willing to adopt their technology.
Whether you are an investor looking for your next blockchain investment, another DLT/blockchain startup looking to partner or an end-user SME wanting to implement such solutions to grow your business, check out BlockStart’s top 6 startups that are leading innovations in their area:
 | AgeVolt (Bratislava, Slovakia): established in 2019, AgeVolt’s mission is to develop a comprehensive Electric Vehicle charging digital ecosystem, making charging convenient, accessible whilst optimising energy distribution. Loyalty Token solution provides a unique functionality to the blockchain based digital platform. It provides additional value for customers (EV charging point owners) and their employees in the Hospitality, Retail, Travel & Leisure sectors. |
 | BlockFrauds (London, United Kingdom): established in 2019, BlockFrauds, a Fardoe Software business, helps insurers detect fraud more efficiently and effectively through advanced speech and image analytics. They use a private, permissioned blockchain akin to a Fraud Bureau, to enable compliant and seamless sharing of intelligence so that fraudsters, fraud flags and double-dip claims are more easily detected and the AI learns from that wider intelligence pool. |
 | BlockTac (Matadepera, Spain): established in 2018, BlockTac provides an autonomous Single Board Controller that collects information directly from IoT sensors or machines, encrypts the data, and stores it in a public Blockchain. The information becomes trusted and traceable, impossible to change, truly linked to its source. Privacy is fully protected, and potential scammers are immediately identified. |
 | Comunitaria (Sevilla, Spain): established in 2018, Comunitaria promotes local commerce by creating a shared self-consumption network where local businesses purchase solar energy produced by nearby neighbours. These neighbours receive payment for their electricity production in the form of a digital currency that they use to buy from the local businesses to which they have sold the electricity. |
 | Digital Village (Paris, France): established in 2020, Digital Village (DV) is a recomposition of social media, gaming, and e-commerce. DV is the first real-time sustainable Multiplayer Metaverse connected to its Social Marketplace, which merges the physical and digital world with its social graph blockchain interface, Village Protocol, and allows real utility of digital assets. |
 | HOPU (Murcia, Spain): established in 2014, HOPU provides an emissions monitoring system for the industry, conceived as a Policy Based Solution (PBF) via Blockchain, certified IoT for indoor air quality monitoring, other heterogeneous data sources and visualization tools. Authentication and authorization of carbon emissions are handled through PBF, enabling trustable and reliable data. |
Demo Day
These 6 startups presented the results of the work developed in the last 6 months to more than 250 people who joined BlockStart’s 3rd Demo Day.
On the 24th of February, BlockStart provided its slight contribution to shed a dim light of hope on one of the darkest days in humankind’s history, showcasing concrete examples of how blockchain can have a positive impact on Society.
João Fernandes, Project Manager & Investment Analyst at Bright Pixel and leader of the BlockStart consortium presented the main takeaways of BlockStart accelerator over the past 3 years. Sabine Brink, Global Blockchain Lead at Shell, took over the stage in a passionate keynote speech about how blockchain can accelerate the energy transition. Then it was the time everyone was waiting for and it was the moment for BlockStart’s top 6 blockchain startups to shine! AgeVolt, BlockFrauds, BlockTac, Comunitaria, Digital Village and HOPU pitched their solutions, developed throughout BlockStart’s 3rd Acceleration Programme and with the help of the programme’s mentors and experts.
More information can be found in the follow-up blog post, as well as the video recording of the event.
BlockStart Programme
BlockStart is a pan-European DLT/blockchain acceleration and partnership programme. Its main objective is to facilitate goal-oriented, business-focused, and mutually beneficial partnerships between DLT/blockchain solution providers and end-user SMEs, thus fostering blockchain adoption. BlockStart supported 60 tech startups and 67 end-user SMEs with mentoring, networking, and a total of €795,000 in equity free grants.
In its 3rd, and last, Open Call, 10 early stage DLT/blockchain startups from all over the EU and H2020 Associated Countries have been selected to a 6-month immersive acceleration programme. From those, 6 have made it to the Pilot stage of the programme and were given the chance to test, validate and implement their blockchain-based solutions in the areas of ICT, retail and fintech by partnering with end-user SMEs, willing to adopt their technology.
BlockStart Consortium
BlockStart is run by a team of 3 partners: Bright Pixel, an early-stage VC investor, CIVITTA, a leading innovation management consultancy in the Eastern and Central Europe, and F6S, a global tech founders’ community. This project has received funding from EU’s Horizon 2020 programme under grant agreement no. 828853.
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More information:
Coordinator: João Fernandes
Contact press: Inês Melo e Faro
Website: https://blockstart.eu/
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