Amazon today announced the launch of the Amazon Launchpad Innovation Awards (Amazon Launchpad Innovation Awards), a free competition to support emerging and innovative European startups, giving them a chance to win the €100,000 Startup of the Year award.

Registration is open until 28th March for startups across Europe selling physical products to consumers. The jury selects the five most innovative companies from a list of 15 finalists. Each of the five finalist startups will receive a grant of €10,000, free access to the Amazon Launchpad for one year and marketing placements. In addition, the person named “Startup of the Year” will receive an additional prize of 90,000 euros.

“Innovation is part of our culture. We continue to invent on behalf of customers and are also the target for innovative new products for small businesses,” said Xavier Flamand, Director of Seller Services Europe. “Since its inception, Amazon Launchpad has supported more than 2,000 European startups. These awards demonstrate our commitment to supporting emerging brands and that we love to surprise our customers with new and innovative products.”

Eligible startups for the award must own the brand they are marketing, be registered in the European Union, United Kingdom or Switzerland, have fewer than 50 employees and have been in existence for less than 10 years with an annual turnover of less than 10 million euros. The jury selects the products based on aesthetics, design, uniqueness and differentiation. They also take into account aspects of social, ecological and economic sustainability. The panel of five judges, representing both Amazon and industry, included Andy Fishburn, CEO of Virgin Start-up; Greg Williams, Editor-in-Chief of Wired UK; Jamie Siminoff, CEO of Ring; Aditi Singh, CEO of Amazon Launchpad Europe; and Ryan Frank, responsible for Amazon Marketplace in Spain.

To learn more about the Amazon Launchpad Innovation Awards, visit: www.amazon.es/launchpad/innovationawards

Support for more than two thousand startups

Launched in 2015, Amazon Launchpad is available in Europe in France, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, and in the US, Canada, Mexico, India, and Australia. Amazon Launchpad has supported the launch of more than 2,000 startups in Europe. Today, around 11,000 products are available on Amazon.es in more than 30 categories such as furniture, electronics, fashion or beauty. Over the years, Amazon Launchpad has partnered with more than 200 leading venture capital firms, startup accelerators, and crowdfunding platforms to help startups launch products.

Among the startups selling their products on the Amazon.es Launchpad store is Ostrichpillow, an original travel and rest pillow company that started selling on Amazon in the United States and now also sells its products on Launchpad stores Sold throughout Europe, Japan and Australia. “For us, the great advantage of Amazon is that it allows us to sell all over the world, it’s a great showcase that makes our products available to millions of customers around the world,” says Pablo, CEO of Ostrichpillow .

For more information about the Amazon Launchpad program, see https://services.amazon.es/services/launchpad.html

awards