Amsterdam, April 9, 2014. Sanoma has announced the five finalists for the Sanoma Startup Challenge 2014, selected out of more than 100 applications from 24 different European countries. The finalists are invited to present their company on stage at The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam on the 25th of April, where a jury will determine the winner of the challenge, receiving a cash prize of 25,000 euro.

John Martin, CEO at Sanoma Learning: "This startup challenge fits our strategy of developing innovations to improve learning outcomes. We are delighted to be engaging with new entrepreneurial talent in building the future of learning".

Quality

Herman Kienhuis, investment director SanomaVentures: "We were pleasantly surprised by the diversity and the high quality of the startups that applied for this first edition of the Sanoma Startup Challenge. So far, the challenge has already given us interesting new connections for both SanomaVentures, for potential investments, as for Sanoma Learning for future cooperation and partnerships.

Finalists

After a careful screening process, including Skype interview sessions, the following five finalists have been chosen and invited to come to Amsterdam:

  • Wewanttoknow (www.wewanttoknow.com) from Norway
  • EduKey (www.edukey.co.uk) from Wales
  • Labster (www.labster.com) from Denmark
  • Eduvee (www.eduvee.com) from England
  • Jumpido (www.jumpido.com) from Bulgaria

Mentoring and pitching

All the finalists are invited to two days of workshops, where they will receive active mentoring sessions by Sanoma Learning and SanomaVentures experts and explore opportunities to develop their business in cooperation with Sanoma. 

Furthermore they will get the chance to present their company and product on stage before an audience and a professional jury at The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam, during a special 'Education track', co-hosted by Sanoma, on Friday April 25. The winner will be selected by the jury immediately following the pitches and will receive a cash prize of 25,000 euro.

About Sanoma Corporation

Get the world. Sanoma helps people access and understand the world.  Sanoma is a front runner in consumer media and learning in Europe. We employ around 10.000 professionals in more than 10 countries. In 2013, the Group's net sales totalled EUR 2.2 billion. Sanoma's share is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.

sanoma.com |twitter.com/sanoma

About Sanoma Learning

Sanoma Learning is one of Europe's leading learning providers for the K12 education sector. Our 1,600 employees are connected by a passion for learning and a mission to improve the impact of education. We offer learning solutions, either in print, hybrid or digital formats, to take personalized learning to a higher level and improve learning outcomes while increasing efficiency.  We are a respected partner in education, working at the forefront of educational reform and innovation. We reach more than 40 countries globally and in Europe where we have strong local roots in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.

learning.sanoma.com | twitter.com/sanoma_learning

About SanomaVentures

SanomaVentures is the investment branch of the European media & education group Sanoma Corporation. SanomaVentures aims to support start-ups by providing capital, media reach, knowledge, network and active support. The focus is on 'early-stage' strategic investments in innovative companies in the following six segments: online consumer services, mobile & tablet applications, video & TV, advertising & marketing services, e-commerce and education. SanomaVentures has offices in Amsterdam and Helsinki.

Since 2012, SanomaVentures has invested in Scoupy.nl, Peerby.com, Truly Yours, Vault79.com, VirtuaGym.com, Brandkids.com, Nosto.com, Fosbury.co, WappZapp.tv, ippies.nl, Mijn AutoCoach, FashionQlub.com / Goeiemode.nl, Springest.com, Wugly.nl and Roomlr.com.

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