20 of Romania's best-known investors and technology & business development specialists will decide which are the most innovative tech startups in Romania, as well as in the Republic of Moldova, at the first edition of the Romania Startup Awards, an annual competition organized by ROTSA.

The 20 members of the Romania Startup Awards board include Marius Istrate -  Chairman of the Board TechAngels, Bogdan Iordache - General Partner Underline Ventures, Andrei Dudoiu - CEO SeedBlink, Valentin Filip - Managing Partner Fortech Investments, Ilinca Păun- Founder Bravva Angels, Marion Hegarty - Chapter Director Women in Tech Romania, Olga Melniciuc - CEO Startup Moldova, Alexandru Ruff - Partner GapMinder, Dan Călugăreanu - Partner Early Game Ventures, Alexandru Agatinei - CEO How to Web, Dragoș Stanca - Founder UpGrade 100, Mădălin Ioniță - Executive director Măgurele Science Park, Vlad Andriescu - Editor-in-chief Start-up.ro, Alex Dascălu - Lead Director Founders Institute, Ciprian Stănescu - President & CEO Social Innovation Solutions (SIS), Sorin Maxim - General director West Regional Development Agency (Agenția pentru Dezvoltare Regională Vest - ADR Vest), Mălin Ștefănescu - Angel Investor TechAngels.

Startups can apply for nominations until Friday, November 15, on the ROTSA website or on the application form.

The benefits for startups that apply include access to investors and partnership opportunities, recognition, credibility and media promotion.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

1. Agritech & Foodtech Innovator
2. AI Excellence Award
3. Best Startup in Moldova
4. Best Startup in Romania
5. Cleantech Pioneer
6. EdTech Leader
7. eHealth Innovator
8. Female-Led Startup of the Year
9. FinTech Innovator
10. Most Scalable Startup
11. Retail & E-Commerce Disruptor
12. Rising Star Award
13. Sustainability Champion
14. Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Eligible to apply are early stage startups (pre-seed, seed) that have a tested MVP already in place and can prove traction through revenue, partnerships, customer interest or have raised investments.

Thus, selection will be based on the following criteria:

1. Market potential (total addressable market and scalability)
2. Business model and traction (revenue generation & projections, customer base and partnerships)
3. Innovation and differentiation (uniqueness of solution, competitive advantage)
4. Societal and environmental impact (positive societal impact and environmental sustainability)
5. Team and management of the startup (team experience and skills)
6. Presentation and quality of materials submitted through the application (clarity and organization)

The Awards Gala will take place on Tuesday, November 26, starting 15.00, in Bucharest.

The event is free to attend, but those interested are asked to register on the gala website by filling in this form.

The competition is organized by the Romanian Tech Startups Association - ROTSA, and the partners are Techcelerator, EIT Digital, SeedBlink, Techangels, Startup Reaktor, European Startup Network, Măgurele Science Park, Startup-ro and DiFine PR.

ROTSA (Romanian Tech Startups Association) is a nonprofit organization that aims to promote, support and represent the interests of technology startups in Romania. ROTSA, by collaborating with actors of the national ecosystem, realizes the national mapping of tech start-ups in Romania, in an effort to generate data related to the status and evolution of tech start-up companies. ROTSA's vision is to develop and support the tech startup ecosystem, being at the same time a connector for the main actors and a link to other already existing international ecosystems.

*This is a press release.