Coinciding with World Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Day on June 27th, this initiative highlights Alibaba.com's commitment to supporting global SMEs.

In addition, Alibaba.com is bringing its flagship event CoCreate to London later this year, creating a dual annual event hosted in London and Las Vegas for the first time. CoCreate is a highly successful SME-focused trade event. Since 2023, it has been hosted in Las Vegas, bringing together more than 2,000 North American SMEs under one roof to collaborate, forge sourcing relationships and unlock growth. Building on the momentum of its Las Vegas event, which is expected to welcome more than 3,000 attendees this year, Alibaba.com is expanding its global footprint with the launch of its first CoCreate event in Europe. The event will take place in London on 14th November.

Fundamental to CoCreate's success is CoCreate Pitch. As the world's largest product-based pitch competition, CoCreate Pitch will see SMEs pitch their most unique and innovative product dreams with a global prize pool worth nearly £750,000 up for grabs, including:

• Two Grand Champions (Las Vegas and London) will each receive approximately £150,000
• 20 global winners will be awarded up to £30,000
• All participants will receive complimentary access to Alibaba.com's AI-powered sourcing tools and supplier network, enabling rapid prototyping and cost-efficient production

The CoCreate Pitch competition will last up to four months. UK SMEs can now submit their product dreams online, with submissions evaluated on innovation, feasibility and market potential. Finalists will pitch live at flagship events in the Las Vegas and London, judged by a panel of industry leaders and investors.

Kuo Zhang, President of Alibaba.com, commented: "The pitching competition has always been a highlight of CoCreate, and it's great to see the entrepreneurial energy and passion SMEs bring to developing their innovative product ideas. This year, we're thrilled to open this opportunity to entrepreneurs in Europe and the US, and look forward to seeing the product dreams of the brightest SMEs and entrepreneurs coming to life on stage."

SMEs and entrepreneurs interested in applying to CoCreate Pitch can post a 30-second video on Instagram or TikTok highlighting their business story or product. Posts need to include the hashtag #CoCreatePitch and tag @Alibaba.com_official. Alternatively, participants can fill out a registration form available on the website: https://pitch.alibabacocreate.com/?tracelog=pr

"We Can Make It": celebrating the resilience of SMEs

The launch of CoCreate Europe comes as Alibaba.com sees growing demand amongst B2B buyers and sellers for digital sourcing. Over recent months, the number of products sold by European suppliers has increased five-fold year-on-year. During its mid-year stock season, Alibaba.com is seeing strong momentum in both the US and Europe. In Europe, the number of paid buyers has increased 38% with strong growth in France, the UK, Italy, and Germany.

Liz Wang, Global Head of Commercial Strategy at Alibaba.com, added: "The 'can-do' spirit of SMEs has always been the inspiration of Co-Create. Alibaba.com's global supply chain empowers these businesses to turn their product dreams into reality. From ideation to production, financing to mentorship, we're here to help them 'make it.'"

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