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And then there were three – the lowdown on the Collision from Home PITCH finalists 2020

This article is part of KrASIA’s partnership with Collision from Home. Written by Ciaran Bruder.

Out of more than 1,000 startups attending Collision from Home – and representing dozens of countries and industries – only three remain. Competition has been fierce in this year’s online PITCH contest, bringing together startups from Albania, Uruguay and everywhere in between to see who is best.

But there can only be one winner.

Meet our judges, who will oversee the PITCH 2020 finals: Eric Hippeau of Lerer Hippeau Ventures, TD Bank’s John Taht, Stack Overflow’s Prashanth Chandrasekar, and Hyundai Cradle’s Stefan Heuser. They are the perfect team to assess one of our strongest finalist pools ever. It’s time for the tale of the tape on our three contenders.

Cameron Yarbrough of Torch after winning the PITCH final Collision 2018.

Sym

First up, digital security startup Sym. This platform empowers engineers across multiple industries to create information workflows that suit their regulatory requirements. During the PITCH final, we’ll hear Yasyf Mohamedali, Sym’s co-founder and CEO, talk about the restrictive data compliance regulations facing businesses in the future. Why do organizations not need to trade-off between building their own information systems at great cost and using ineffective off-the-shelf tools? Yasyf may have the answer.

GlucoActive

The World Health Organization estimates that 422 million people globally have diabetes, a disease that has been on the rise, increasing the stakes for people around the world who need to manage their condition and try to maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible.

The PITCH final gives GlucoActive founder and CEO Robert Stachurski the spotlight to tell us how his home diabetes management tech can help. GlucoActive devices are non-invasive – meaning wearers don’t have to directly monitor blood sugar levels – and come in both stationary and wearable sets.

Orai

We’ve all been there – facing a room full of people, your mouth dry, heart beating out of your chest. Public speaking is uncomfortable for most and an anxiety attack in waiting for many. Nevertheless, good public speaking skills are often seen as a sign of individuals who have the communication skills and charisma required for successful leadership.

Education app Orai is built on the idea that confident communicators get more done. Users can record and practice a speech any time, any place with interactive lessons and word exercises. Feedback is instant and gamification makes getting to your end goal of delivering a compelling speech clearly and with great confidence easier. It seems it’s the only speech coach you’ll need. Let’s see!

Chelsea F. Briganti, CEO of greentech business Loliware, after winning the PITCH final Collision 2019.

Join Collision from Home at 11.45am (EDT), June 25, to see these startups compete for the prize in our first online PITCH contest – and don’t miss the announcement of the winner that afternoon at 4.35pm (EDT)!

36Kr Global Contributors
36Kr Global Contributors
The tech ecosystem is roaring. Unicorns valued at billions of dollars have emerged worldwide, while venture capital and strategic investors are constantly on the lookout for the next big thing. 36Kr Global is committed to establishing ties between global stakeholders and providing the most vital information about China’s tech scene and capital markets.
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