The competition for the 20 million investment continues

The first phase of the HFDA Startup Programme has come to an end. It granted business training and professional mentoring for ten young fashion and design startups to provide them with a chance of winning the 20 million HUF investment offer of Hiventures and Startup Campus Inkubátor. After the training, the teams presented their ideas at the "mini Demo Day". The projects judged as the best will soon take part in targeted presentation training so that they can present their innovative solutions and business ideas in their final forms to the investment committee by the end of February.

The HFDA Startup Programme targeting workers and students of the creative industry was launched for the third time in the autumn of 2021 in a joint initiative of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, the Startup Campus Innovation Agency, and the Hiventures venture capital fund manager belonging to the MFB Group. The programme aims to find the most promising young fashion and design startup entrepreneurs and provide them with free business development training and investment opportunities of up to 20 million Hungarian forints.

The interest in the programme is unbroken year after year; last autumn, over 50 businesses applied, of which the ten chosen teams could start the five-week online business training. In addition to training on key startup methodologies, team- and time management skills, and business and financial planning, the participants also receive product development advice. Besides, the mentors called their attention to essential knowledge about competitors, market entry strategy, and marketing. After the 12 training and individual consultation sessions and almost 30 hours of study materials, the teams revealed their ideas at the mini Demo Day in December.

Season Pack presented an exchange platform for outgrown baby clothes, StudioMOQ an idea about designing sunglasses as jewellery, Scoalt a natural air purifier, Mula their pet products, Infratex the creation of a heat-generating textile, and PLANNIE their interior design needs- and environmental assessment software.

The chosen teams will proceed to the next phase soon and take part in further investment training for five weeks. The programme will terminate with an investment meeting where teams can present their ideas to the committee. The best projects can receive an initial investment of up to HUF 20 million provided by Hiventures belonging to the MFB group and Startup Campus Inkubátor.