Austin, Texas– Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP ®) is excited to announce that BAE Ventures will be sponsoring Entrepreneur 20X (E20X) Europe. The dynamic event showcasing hospitality innovation start-ups will mark the conclusion of the first day of HFTP’s inaugural Digital Horizons 360 (DH360) seminar on Tuesday, 20 February 2024.
Committed to supporting start-ups within the tourism value chain by providing funding, resources, and market expertise, BAE Ventures is a Lisbon-based venture capital firm with a primary goal of igniting growth through strategic positioning, smart investments, and expert guidance. This makes the venture capital firm a natural fit to sponsor E20X. The company serves as the main conduit between corporations, start-ups, and investors within the tourism value environment, facilitating connections at all levels to ensure organizations reach their full potential in the evolving hospitality tech landscape.
“We at BAE Ventures are thrilled to be the main sponsor for E20X at the prestigious Digital Horizons 360 Symposium,” stated BAE Ventures CEO Henrique Veiga. “This event represents a milestone in the advancement of hospitality technology, especially in these challenging times. Our commitment to promoting innovation aligns perfectly with HFTP’s mission to bring together the brightest minds in the industry. We believe that through collaborative efforts and exchanging ideas at seminars like this, we can drive significant advancements in technology that will shape the future of hospitality.”
Established in 2015, HFTP’s Entrepreneur 20X provides hospitality tech start-ups with a career-boosting opportunity, exposing them to leading industry mentors, investors, leaders, and executives. For the competition, one person from each start-up will pitch for 4 minutes to a packed session room and a panel of judges. Immediately following the pitch, the judges have 4 minutes to question the pitcher. The start-ups compete for two different awards: the Judges’ Choice Award with a EUR2,500 prize and the People’s Choice award, a popular vote chosen by the DH360 audience.
“We’re grateful to have BAE Ventures onboard as HFTP reenters the European hospitality community with DH360,” said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE. “Having our program sponsor be so specifically focused on the development of fledgling entrepreneurs reinforces our commitment to industry advancement and collaboration.”
In addition, financial infrastructure platform Stripe has announced their support for the future of hospitality technology by becoming E20X Europe 2024’s prize sponsor, providing USD 10,000 in payment processing credit without fees for all participating start-ups and USD 30,000 in processing credit without fees for the Judges’ Choice winner.
“Stripe and HFTP share the vision of creating an innovative travel industry for businesses of all sizes, and there’s much the industry can learn from the next generation of travel start-ups,” said James Lemon, Stripe’s Global Industry Lead for Travel & Leisure, Automotive, and Transport. “Stripe is thrilled to be providing a package of credits and support for the finalists and winner, to accelerate their growth and help them implement Stripe’s payment and financial infrastructure.”
Applications to compete at E20X Europe are currently open through December 15,
