T-Mobile to launch the fifth edition of Takeoffs for startups

Free educational webinars and regional workshops across the Czech Republic
Total value of prizes in excess of CZK 2 million
Registration of projects until 19 March

T-Mobile has announced the fifth edition of Takeoffs of the Year, a competition for start-up businesses. The competition helps the contestants resolve fundamental issues such as how to start a business, where to look for opportunities and partners, what to avoid when starting business operations and how to navigate the intricate areas of finance, marketing and business practices. Experienced specialists, investors, business owners and winners of the previous editions of Takeoffs will also provide their advice. This year, up to 42 competing projects can win in the Czech Republic’s 14 regions. Projects can be registered from 26 February to 19 March 2015. Winners of the regional rounds will advance to the finals, where the national grand-prize winner will be selected by the public through online voting.

“We want to continue supporting brave people with good ideas who are not only capable of creating something sustainable in the long run but who can also contribute through their businesses to their communities, for example by creating new employment opportunities in their respective regions,” says Martina Kemrová, Senior Head of Corporate Communication at T-Mobile.

Prizes and support
Winners of the competition will again receive packages of telecommunications services free of charge for one year, tablets, free services from the partners of the competition and support in the form of specialist advice. T-Mobile will again provide financial support amounting to CZK 660,000 which will be distributed among the winners. Contestants can also draw inspiration directly from the participants of the previous editions of Takeoffs, whom they can meet at regional workshops, or via a blog with the telling name of Jazyk na vestě (“Out of Breath”), on which active past winners regularly post articles.

Drawing up a project is not as easy as it may seem. Therefore the first webinar to deal with this topic will be held immediately following the announcement of the competition. Interested participants will be provided information about innovations and changes in the competition. The webinar is free of charge and will take place online on 24 February at 8:00 p.m.; those wishing to take part in it can register here.

Partners
Support to the competition will again be provided by partners, many of which have done so repeatedly since the inception of Takeoffs. The main partners of this year’s edition of Takeoffs are Česká spořitelna, Huawei, Xerox and the Najisto agency, which, together with T-Mobile, will provide practical prizes to the winners. The professional partners include traditional supporters LMC, iPodnikatel, HUB and the Chamber of Commerce in Plzeň.

“Česká spořitelna has a professional team of corporate bankers who have been providing long-term support to start-up businesses, tailored to suit their individual needs. We are looking forward to again meeting entrepreneurs with promising start-up projects and helping them set up their business plans. We will also be happy to share our expertise in the area of business financing with them. Therefore we will support the national winner with CZK 150,000 to help him or her start his or her business, and the regional winners with a business account, which is indispensable for carrying out business,” says Petra Michalská, MSE Segment Manager at Česká spořitelna.

Campaign
Takeoffs of the Year 2015 is accompanied by a creative campaign titled “Skládačky” (“Origami”) developed by the agency Made by Vaculík. The campaign will feature winners of last year’s edition of Takeoffs: Zuzana Kubíčková, the national winner with her Moje dílna (“My Workshop”) project, and Jaroslava Michalcová, the winner of the special Takeoffs of the Year 2014 team prize with her Kavárna – cukrárna Dortletka (“Dortletka Café – Confectionery”).

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.