A TOTAL OF 406 PROJECTS ARE COMPETING TO WIN A PRIZE WORTH CZK 1 MILLION IN THE TENTH EDITION OF T-MOBILE TAKEOFFS FOR START-UP BUSINESSES

• The largest number of applications are traditionally from Prague and South Moravia; this year’s surprise is the Ústí nad Labem region
• One-third of applications are from the technology area, one-fifth from the area of responsible business
• Prizes worth approx. CZK 3.5 million will be distributed among winners
• Free workshops for beginning entrepreneurs start on 24 March

Prague, 10 March 2020 – In the jubilee tenth edition of T-Mobile Takeoffs, a total of 406 beginning entrepreneurs are competing to win a prize worth more than CZK 1 million, which consists of cash and services necessary to start a business. Just like every year, the largest number of projects originated in the Czech capital, where 118 projects will compete, followed by South Moravia (57) and Central Bohemia (44). A surprise among the other regions is the Ústí nad Labem region, where 25 applications were registered this year. The competing entrepreneurs, half of whom are in the 25-34 age category, want to do business in IT, education and leisure activities and products. In March and April, expert juries will select the best projects in the regional rounds. The names of the national winners will be announced on 4 June.

One-third (29%) of the projects are in the area of IT and involve software and IoT applications in particular. The area with the second largest number of applications is education and leisure activities and products. A total of 21% of projects in the area of sustainable business will be submitted to the jury; these include, for example, aquaponic farms, an eco-friendly flower shop and toy rental service. “We again have several businesses offering glass straws, a CNG car fleet and a number of projects focused on upcycling, particularly the use of old clothes,” says Eva Karasová, CSR Manager at T-Mobile, revealing the competing business ideas. “However, a distinctive trend appears every year. This year, it comprises a total of ten different tracking solutions for lost dogs and cats with collars and applications. One project even involves a dog matchmaking service,” adds Eva Karasová.

At the end of March, the competition will head to the regions. Juries composed of experts, successful entrepreneurs and investors, such as Margareta Křížová and Martin Korman, seek not only innovative ideas, but also successful implementation of business plans. At workshops that will be held between 24 March and 24 April (a list of dates and cities can be found here), hundreds of beginning entrepreneurs can receive consultancy in the areas of finance and marketing. The workshops are free of charge and are open to everybody interested in doing business. All they need to do is register on the website at www.rozjezdy.cz.

Up to forty-two regional winners will receive prizes worth approx. CZK 3.5 million in total. The prizes include financial support for starting a business, packages of services and tangible prizes that are necessary for doing business. Four national winners will be selected from among the regional winners to receive the Prize of the Jury, the Prize for the Best Technological Solution, the Prize of the Public and the Prize for Responsible Business. This year, the overall winner will receive prizes worth nearly CZK 1.2 million. In addition to a financial donation in the amount of CZK 150,000 from T-Mobile, the winner of the Prize of the Jury will receive an advertising and PR campaign with the total value of CZK 315,000, business, legal and accounting consultancy and tangible prizes from the partners of the programme.

The innovation of the jubilee tenth edition is the Prize for the Best Technological Solution, evaluating the usefulness, level of advancement and quality of the given technological solution. The partners of this year’s edition of T-Mobile Takeoffs include Xopero Software, which provides solutions for business customers in the area of data backup. From its offer of T-Cloud business solutions, T-Mobile will donate to the national winners of the Prize of the Jury, Prize of the Public, Prize for Responsible Business and Prize for the Best Technological Solution an annual subscription for automatic encrypted data backup in the secure Xopero cloud with 2000 GB of storage space, three Office 365 Business Premium software licences, five licences of the Kaspersky Small Office Security antivirus system and five PhoneCopy software licences with 100 GB of storage space for easy phone data backup. The combined value of these prizes is nearly CZK 350,000. Originators of the projects ranking first to third in the regional rounds and competing for the Prize for the Best Technological Solution will receive a special prize worth CZK 23,217 from the offer of T-Cloud business applications – an annual subscription for automatic encrypted data backup in the secure Xopero cloud with 500 GB of storage space. 

The new Prize for Responsible Business will be awarded this year. The most responsible of the regional projects will receive a financial donation of CZK 100,000 and a package of telecommunications services. The results will be announced on 4 June.

About the competition

T-Mobile Takeoffs is a long-term programme aimed at supporting start-up businesses. It offers free regional workshops on issues relating to starting a business; another part of the programme involves a competition for the best business idea and business plan. From 27 January until 24 February, those who have not yet started a business or who have had a business license in relation to a particular idea for less than 12 months can register in the competition at www.rozjezdy.cz. In each region, three programme participants can win and receive financial support, advisory services from experts in different areas of business, packages of services and tangible prizes. The national winner is selected by the jury. The innovations of this year’s edition are the Prize for the Best Technological Solution and the Prize for Responsible Business. In addition to that, online voting is held to determine the winner of the Prize of the Public. The Czech Management Association awards the Special Prize for Young Talents. Free regional workshops that are open to the broader public take place in March and April in five cities: Plzeň, České Budějovice, Brno, Olomouc and Prague.

The partners of this year’s edition of T-Mobile Takeoffs are AZ Legal, Connect Economic Group, Czech Management Association, Expertia, Samsung and Seznam.cz. The expert partners are Proboston and AC&C Public Relations, and the regional partners are DEPO 2015, the Faculty of Social and Economic Studies of Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Innovation Centre of the Ústí nad Labem Region, South Bohemian Science and Technology Park, South Moravian Innovation Centre, Plzeň Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lipo.ink, P-PINK, Central Bohemian Innovation Centre and Technology Centre Hradec Králové.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.