The biennial World Summit Award (WSA) took place in the Estonian capital Tallinn this year and two Austrian startups – ovos and Whatchado – were selected among the 40 world’s best e-contents and applications.
Meet Ludwig
Vienna-based ovos won with their educational game “Ludwig” in the category “e-Learning and Education”. The theme of the adventure game revolves around physics and renewable energy and is targeted at children aged 10 and up.
Although there is no prize money involved, team ovos seems honoured to be among the winners. “We have invested a lot of time and passion into Ludwig so the award is a nice confirmation that we’re on the right track,” managing partner Jörg Hofstätter told inventures.eu. As for now, the team is working on the Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese versions of the game. “We are almost done and curious about the feedback,” said Hofstätter.
One among many
Although this award is among many others that Ali Mahlodji has received for his startup Whatchado, he is as excited about it as if it were the first one. His online storytelling handbook won in the category “e-Media and Journalism”.
“The Austrian ministry suggested we should apply,” Mahlodji told inventures.eu. “Since the WSA are international, it was a great chance to gain more visibility.” By now, the Whatchado website offers some 6.000 minutes of career and life stories.
More CEE representatives
Austria was not the only CEE country among the 40 winners.
Estonian startup TransferWise was awarded in the “e-Business and Commerce” category. The online platform allows expats, foreign students and businesses transfer money abroad without any hidden fees.
Aqua Lingua’s concept of creating personal water pictures using voices or other sounds convinced the jury in “e-Entertainment and Games.” The Lithuanian startup aims to offer a platform that lets you “see what you hear.”
No more long car queues at borders with Estonian startup GoSwift, which won in “e-Government and Institutions.” The team has developed an online reservation system for border crossing that is supposed to make the process more efficient and save time.
The goal of Slovak game Sheeplive.eu is to protect children from inappropriate behaviour on the internet. They won “e-Inclusion and Participation” for their educational project.
SeeCult is a Serbian portal for SEE. Winner in “e-Culture and Heritage,” the startup offers features like an events calendar, photo galleries, news about events, artists, and more.
SIVECO Romania implemented the “Support for the Special Education System through Specialized Educational Portal” for the special education system in Romania. The project helps special needs children observe and discover different experiments.
All 40 startups are invited to the WSA Global Congress in Sri Lanka from 23-26 October, where they will showcase their projects.
