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The Chivas Venture Final week in Amsterdam was a rollercoaster!
The 27 amazing finalists were whittled down to just 9 and here they are:
Francesco Pezzuoli – Italy – Limix
Folasade Bamisaye – Nigeria – Green Pad
Cemal Ezel - United Kingdom – Change Please
Papu Haroon – Kenya – Kilifi Moringa
Eric Sicart – Spain – Braibook
Olga Marcenac – Bulgaria – Nasekomo
Jalila Essaidi – Netherlands – Mestic
Diana Yousef – USA – Change: Water Labs
Lim Yuet Kim – Malaysia – The Picha Project
The judges were blown away by all the finalist pitches, making their decision no easy feat, but there could only be nine that progressed to the next stage.
The Semi Finals saw the finalists cut down to just five who went through to the main event at the TNW conference where they pitched in front of an audience of 3,000.
The story below details all the action that went down up until the semi finals…
Arriving in Amsterdam on Sunday in the sunshine, the 27 finalists were reunited for the Final week. Resembling a group of old friends, rather than competitors for a $1 million prize fund, they were full of energy and ready to face the week ahead.
Monday was a comparatively relaxed affair, with the finalists clicking through their presentations ahead of the Quarter Final pitches and taking in some of the sights of the city.
It all came down to Tuesday though…Quarter Final day. Waking up in a slightly overcast Amsterdam, the finalists, a bundle of nervous energy and anticipation, made their way to TQ workspace, the venue for the Quarter Finals.
After a quick brief for the day, the finalists were given their groups and timings. Each group of judges had nine finalists and had to choose just three to put through to the Semi Finals.
After a tense day of preparing, pacing and finally pitching, the finalists relaxed as the judges deliberated over their decision. Gathering again for the announcement, the finalists supported each other as the top three from each group were revealed. In what was a poignant moment for all the finalists, the sense of community and friendship was overpowering.
With emotions running high throughout the day, the finalists had the chance to let their hair down at dinner with a couple of Chivas cocktails. Then it was back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep ahead of the Semi Finals.
