Wayra announces 2020 programme for startups
Telefónica’s global innovation arm Wayra is looking for start-ups and entrepreneurs to register for its London 2020 programme. Applications can be submitted online on Wayra’s website (www.wayra.co.uk) from 3rd October until 3rd November.
Wayra will then select 40 start-ups for the semi-finals, which will take place on 13th November. 20 companies will then be selected for the finals on 20th November, from which 10 start-ups will be chosen to join the next cohort, which will begin n February 2020. During the programme, all start-ups will be located into Wayra’s office in Piccadilly, Central London.
Gary Stewart, the Director of Wayra said:” UK start-ups are looking for money, either via investment or via income, and we have proved we can do both pretty well. Our companies have raised $265m in investments but what really differentiates us is that our start-ups have also made $18m in revenue just from contracts with Telefónica”.
Wayra’s UK 188 portfolio companies have a combined valuation of close to $1 billion and include start-ups such as ChargedUp, Pzizz, Quit Genius, Red Sift, Ori, Babytobody, Our Path, Century, YoyoWallet and Wefarm.
Successful start-ups will be given access to Telefónica’s global network, o2’s local network and Wayra UK’s partners, including Cisco, Novartis, Ferrovial, Hyundai, Bosch, Network Rail and the British Government via the GCHQ and NCSC.
