With a special focus on water resources and energy, the fourth Sharif Startup Trigger blasted off on Sunday.
According to a press release, the six-day event is being held at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. During the first four days, attendees will take part in workshops to form teams and develop their ideas.
To select a team, attendees will "fast meet". This means that each individual will have 90 seconds to speak about his or her ideas and abilities with another person. This will help people ally with those who have similar ideas or join a team where they think they fit in best.
The Startup Trigger has been planned by the Committee for Developing Entrepreneurial Ideas affiliated to SUT and this round is supervised by EnerWat, the Sharif Event on Water and Energy Nexus.
Sharif Accelerator and Entrepreneurship Center, Sharif Advanced Technologies Incubator and the university's Institute of Water and Energy are among the sponsors.
The educational workshops focus on a range of topics, including designing business models, digitizing water, electricity and energy facilities, and computerizing water and energy use in agriculture. Participants will also be attending courses on pitching and financial analysis.
The teams will have to select a problem in the water and energy sector, and develop ideas for solving it.
The top three teams will win cash prizes that are too paltry to deserve a mention. This is surprising, in view of the large number of sponsors. After the event concludes, selected ideas will be commercialized and the teams will be extended support to develop their ideas and prepare to pitch in the presence of investors of water and energy sectors.
Anybody between the ages of 18-35 can attend. Those who have completed their graduate studies in the areas of technical, mechanical and applied science are preferred.
In an interview with Mehr News Agency in August, Mona Nasseri, the executive manager of Sharif Accelerator, noted that startup triggers are held once every season. The first edition of the startup trigger was held last winter and focused on information technology and engineering.
The most important advantage of participating in such an event is that individuals get a chance to interact with investors who will help them take their innovative business ideas to the next level.
