2016 REC@NNECT Hackathon Announcement

ContentsI. HACKATHON SNAPSHOT 2

II. REC@NNECT BACKGROUND 3

III. SCOPE OF REC@NNECT HACKATHON 3

IV. REC@NNECT HACKATHON ELIGIBILITY 4

V. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA 5

VI. REC@NNECT HACKATHON SELECTION PROCESS 7

Phase 1: Submission: January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2016 7

Phase 2: Application Review and Finalist Selection: January 15, 2016 to February 15, 2016 7

Phase 3: Preparatory Training: February 15-April 15, 2016 8

Phase 4: REC@NNECT Hackathon 8

VII. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS 8

XVIII. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUPPORT 9

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I. Hackathon Snapshot

Applications Opens

Application Deadline

Friday, January 1, 2016

Sunday, January 31, 2016(17:00 U.S. Eastern Daylight Time)

How to Apply Fill out the application form http://tiny.cc/hackathonapp

General Criteria Early stage technology companies

Basic Eligibility Entrepreneurs who are permanent residents and/or citizens of an eligible country in South Asia. Eligible countries include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Permanent residents or citizens of the U.S. are not eligible to participate in the REC@NNECT Hackathon.

Awards Travel scholarship to REC@NNECT Hackathon in India for four international finalists

Invitation to attend REC@NECT Hackathon for 40 Host city-based finalists

Invitation to participate in online entrepreneurship course Foundations for Startups

Complete Competition Announcement & Application Forms

Read below and check the REC@NNECT website reconnectsca.org/reconnect-hackathon

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II. REC@NNECT Background

REC@NNECT identifies the next generation of technology entrepreneurs in South and Central Asia and supports them through entrepreneurship capacity building activities that provide: skills development; networking; and international exposure and seed funding. The program achieves this through competitions, start-up acceleration services, online social media platforms, and interactive mentorship programs.

REC@NNECT is a partnership between CRDF Global and the U.S. Department of State’s South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau. To find out more about REC@NNECT, please visit www.reconnectsca.org

CRDF Global is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources, training and services. CRDF Global is based in Arlington, Virginia with offices in Moscow, Russia; Kyiv, Ukraine; Almaty, Kazakhstan; and Amman, Jordan. For more information about CRDF Global, please visit www.crdfglobal.org

The U.S. Department of State executes public diplomacy programs and other forms of technical assistance that seek to enhance regional prosperity and stability in South and Central Asia through strengthening economic linkages. Though challenging, countries in this region have much to gain by working together to develop policies to reduce trade and transit barriers, increase investments in their respective economies, and support regional cross-border projects. Another key area in linking South and Central Asia is the sharing of ideas and leveraging the skills and productivity of the businesses in the region. Businesses can expand economic markets that also create opportunities for youth, women, and minorities which can enhance regional security and prosperity. To advance U.S. foreign policy and foster a regional environment where invention, innovation, and industry thrive the U.S. Department of State engages foreign partners on economic policy issues that support open, transparent, and meritocratic systems of governance, and implements capacity building programs that train young men and women to become entrepreneurs. For more information about this U.S. Department of State initiative, please visit http://www.state.gov/p/sca/

III. Scope of REC@NNECT Hackathon

Entrepreneurs from eligible countries in South Asia are encouraged to participate in the REC@NNECT Hackathon in India. The REC@NNECT Hackathon is designed to support technology entrepreneurs to launch and/or grow a company in South and Central Asia through:

Training and mentorship by successful entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists Networking opportunities Access to seed funding

The REC@NNECT Hackathon application will be reviewed by a panel of experts. 40 host city-based participants and four international finalists, one each from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, will be invited to the REC@NNECT Hackathon in India this April or May 2016 (city and exact date TBD). At the Hackathon they will participate in skills building workshops, international networking meetings, and pitch sessions.

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Objectives: Accelerate the development and success of early stage companies and enhance the leadership

capabilities of entrepreneurs by providing in-depth, tailored training and mentorship; Enhance knowledge and skills of entrepreneurs in areas such as -- but not limited to --

leadership, sales, marketing, investments, and successful team building; Provide opportunities at the REC@NNECT Hackathon for establishing linkages and building

networks with distinguished entrepreneurs, investors, potential customers and supporters from the South Asia region.

IV. REC@NNECT Hackathon Eligibility

Competition applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible to participate in the 2016 REC@NNECT Hackathon:

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1. Any member of a team can only enter the competition once with one submission. Each team must select a member who will be the applicant for the team in this competition.

2. The applicant must be at least 18 years old and able to both read and speak English proficiently. The REC@NNECT Hackathon application must be written in English.

3. The applicant must be either a permanent resident or citizen of the following eligible countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, or Sri Lanka. U.S. citizens or permanent residents are not eligible to participate in the REC@NNECT Hackathon, even if they are also a permanent resident or citizen of a REC@NNECT eligible country.

4. The applicant must hold a valid passport and be eligible to travel to participate in the REC@NNECT Hackathon, if selected as a finalist.

5. The applicant should be ready and available to present the startup during the REC@NNECT Hackathon; location and date to be determined.

Once you determine you meet the general criteria, please select which track applies to you: venture track or techie track (the techie track is available only to Host city-based professionals). You will mark this track on the online application.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA – THE VENTURE TRACK

1. To qualify for the venture track, you must have a product (web application, mobile application, or physical product) or service focusing on science or technology solutions in sectors such as information and communication technologies (ICTs), energy, agriculture, and health. Your startup should be a for-profit or an entity designed to be financially sustainable. Social enterprises are eligible if they have a business model that relies on customers in order to stay self-sustaining.

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2. The product or service must currently be at a demo/prototyping stage or already have been introduced to the market.

3. Applications that fall under the following categories will not be accepted: Pure research projects with no demonstrable commercial potential Charity organizations or foundations (not-for-profits) Organizations that buy and resell technologies and other goods

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA – THE TECHIE TRACK (available to Host city-based applicants only)

The REC@NNECT Hackathon is about bringing people together to encourage startup team building and networking. Though many people who attend the hackathon will already have begun their own tech businesses, the power of the hackathon is to support strong startup team building by involving people with various skill sets. The techie track is available to Host city-based professionals who may not already have a tech startup or business, but have skills or ideas that would benefit a startup team. Most importantly, the techie track applicant possesses a strong interest to form a startup team. Skills or ideas that a techie track applicant may posses include, but are not limited to:

Coding skills or data analysis Marketing or sales experience, interest, or expertise Legal experience Other skill sets or ideas that could be useful to a company

Applicants to the techie track will be asked to briefly describe what they hope to bring to the startup scene.

V. Application Instructions and Evaluation Criteria

Each complete application will be reviewed by judges who will use the following criteria to evaluate the full application. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka will each receive one finalist. 40 finalists from Host city will also be selected. Each applicant will be notified by February 15, 2016. The structure of the application is explained below:

Venture Track Evaluation Criteria

Section Instructions EvaluationValue of Product or Service

What is the market problem your venture is solving?

Problem is clearly stated (the problem or need is real, fulfills identifiable customer demand)Solution is clearly stated (better, faster, cheaper, simple)

Commercial Potential

Describe your business model. What support or partnerships do you seek or have? Do you have research related to customer segmentation, value

Revenue Model (Clear revenue model)

Financials (Reasonable financial projections in terms of sales, profit

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proposition, cost, revenue, and how long it will take you to launch? Explain the commercial value of your product or service. Is it a new or improved technology? Is it scalable? Are risks assessed properly?

margins, expenses)Exit Opportunity (Potential acquirers identified, potential exits and options identified)

Market Position Describe your market needs, market size, and (potential) customers. Why would these customers buy your product or service? List competitors in your current and future market. How will your startup rival your competitors?

Target Market (target market is sufficiently large and growing, customer is well defined)Competition (demonstrate understanding of market competitors, direct vs. indirect competition, barriers to entry)Traction (market validation, milestones, minimum viable product (MVP) built, key success metrics defined)

Management Team

Describe your management team, including yourself, and its track record.

Team (management team has appropriate skills, industry knowledge, relationships)

Techie Track Evaluation Criteria (available for host city-based applicants only)

Section Instructions EvaluationTechnical Skills The techie applicant should be

interested in bringing skills that can help businesses succeed including but not limited to, mobile app development, data base creation, engineering, 3-D printing, specific coding, online computer langugages, and more.

Skills are described to show how they could contribute to startup.

Experience is shown by displaying links to past work

Commitment to entrepreneurship

The techie applicant should briefly describe how s/he became interested in the startup scene, what s/he hopes to achieve in working with a startup, and perhaps the types of startups (focus areas, sectors) that s/he thinks they would best contribute to.

Clarity of purpose that would be attractive to a perspective startup founder. Every story is different, but a clear story will help here.

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VI. REC@NNECT Hackathon Selection Process

Hackathon Starts Ends Milestone

Phase 1: Submission& Trainings

January 1, 2016 January 31, 2016

Local partner organizations provide in-person trainings, and CRDF Global provides 2 preparatory webinars.

Applications are submitted.Phase 2: Review/Finalist Selection

January 31, 2016 February 15, 20164 international finalists and 40 Host city-based finalists are selected and announced by February 15, 2016.

Phase 3:Preparatory Entrepreneurship Course

February 15, 2016 April 15, 2016

All entrepreneurs invited to join in 6-week course Foundations for Startups in preparation of REC@NNECT Hackathon

Phase 4: Hackathon April or May TBD

Attend the Hackathon and meet entrepreneurs from around South Asia.

Finalists give presentations to a panel of judges.

Phase 1: Submission: January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2016A complete REC@NNECT Hackathon application must be submitted by January 31, 2016, 11:59pm India Standard Time. Applicants are advised to allow ample time before the deadline to submit their application. This will ensure timely assistance by CRDF Global if there are technical issues with the submission. During late December, potential applicants will be invited to attend a webinar or local trainings organized by local partner organizations, where applicants and their teams will acquire skills to improve their application. Applicants who have already submitted their applications prior to the webinar or trainings will be allowed to resubmit their applications up to the January 15, 2016 deadline.

Phase 2: Application Review and Finalist Selection: January 31, 2016 to February 15, 2016 Expert judges will select 40 Host city-based participants and up to four international finalists, based on the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V. Applicants will be notified of the results via email by February 15, 2016. Results will also be announced on the REC@NNECT website, REC@NNECT Twitter, and REC@NNECT Facebook. (All participants are strongly encouraged to follow REC@NNECT on Facebook and Twitter at https://twitter.com/REC_SCA and https://www.facebook.com/ReconnectSCA )

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Phase 3: Preparatory Training: February 15-April 15, 2016All finalists and REC@NNECT applicants will receive an invitation to join the REC@NNECT Foundations for Startups online course from February 15-April 15, 2016. The course is open to ALL entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs. The workshop will feature videos from top business leaders and live webinars with two successful entrepreneurs where you can ask your questions. Among topics covered will be Business Model Canvas, customer development, marketing, and adjusting your business to market demands.

Phase 4: REC@NNECT Hackathon The four REC@NNECT Hackathon finalists will be invited to the REC@NNECT Hackathon, with travel expenses covered, to receive personalized coaching and mentorship from serial entrepreneurs and investors, and to participate in pitch sessions and the award ceremony.

Final PitchThe pitch will be 10 minutes in length—five minutes for presentation and five minutes for Q&A. The presentation will be delivered in front of a live audience and a panel of expert entrepreneurs and investors.

VII. Special RequirementsExport ControlCRDF Global complies with all U.S. laws and regulations and applicable international law pertaining to export controls and to the participation of foreign nationals or institutions in its activities. It is CRDF Global’s policy not to conduct any transactions with U.S. restricted entities without appropriate authorization from the U.S. government, including licenses and other permits and restrictions. CRDF Global reserves the right to restrict the participation of any individual or institution in its programs.

Protection of Confidential InformationApplicants are responsible for identifying any written business confidential information contained in their application materials. CRDF Global assumes that no business confidential information will be disclosed by an applicant including the initial application and the business pitch presentation. If there is a valid need to provide any business confidential information after selection as a finalist, such written information shall be clearly marked so that CRDF Global can, to the degree reasonably possible, protect it by restricting its exposure to authorized staff, its funding and oversight agencies, and external U.S. and international business reviewers and judges. Independent U.S. and international business reviewers and judges retained by CRDF Global, as well as all personnel of CRDF Global and its partner organizations, are required to adhere to strict standards of confidentiality in the handling of all business confidential information contained in any written materials.

Intellectual PropertyCRDF Global makes no claim to intellectual property rights under any award.

XVIII. Additional Information and SupportQuestions and correspondence regarding this competition announcement should be directed to the CRDF Global staff member referenced below. Applicants are requested to identify themselves in all correspondence and to put the phrase “REC@NNECT Hackathon” in the email subject line. CRDF Global may choose not to disclose certain information in a response to any question or query, if in our view

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such details would affect the fairness or transparency of the competition or convey an undue advantage to an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the website on a regular basis as answers are updated daily while applications are being accepted. CRDF Global also reserves the right to disclose to all other applicants an answer or clarification to a question from an applicant in the interest of fairness, objectivity, and transparency of this competition.

CRDF GlobalAttn: Amanda Gant1776 Wilson Boulevard, 3rd FloorArlington, VA 22209Tel: 703-526-6758E-mail: reconnectsca@crdfglobal.org

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