The Startup Europe Summit held on 16 November in Sofia, Bulgaria, gathered over 500 entrepreneurial actors to pay tribute to the energy and innovation of startups in driving the European economy.

Aimed at promoting open innovation through public-private partnerships, the awards were issued under 18 categories.

Hesperange-based Evvos was recognised in the agritech category for its infrastructure to connect sensors to a data acquisition device to provide solutions tailored to farmers’ needs.

Other laureates included Enova (water), Biomyc (green), Simbound (edutech), Sky Tronic ( IoT), Macedonian Honey (climate), Tommi (e-health), Cyclefi (smart cities), Corrata (cybersecurity), Helperbit (fintech), Fuvex (space), Courtsdesk (legal), Uncovercity (gastronomy), Eyesynth (social), Plactherm (energy), Italian Artisan (fashion), Popertee (creative), and Live Electric Tours (tourism).

Their prize is a media partnership offering enhanced exposure within Europe. The startups will also be given access to a mentoring programme through the Startup Europe Accelorator by the Finnova Foundation.

The 18 were selected from 134 finalists from Ireland, Poland, Romania, Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Spain, Macedonia, Portugal, Hungary, Ukraine and Belgium.

At the prizegiving ceremony, European commissioner for digital economy and society Mariya Gabriel said the awards encouraged the entrepreneurs to continue working hard. “Europe wants to have more emerging companies like yours. You showcased that success can come from anywhere in Europe. And you showcased that in order to succeed, you must be bold and brave.”