The competition features tech startups and scaleups that bring positive social change and impact people’s lives through technology. Applicants were able to enter across ten innovation verticals including AI for Good, EdTech, HealthTech, MedTech, FinTech for Good, and Climate Tech. This year's competition included new categories such as FoodTech and a dedicated pre-seed challenge returning.

The global competition, now in its third year and powered by Empact Ventures and Hays, has showcased many innovative tech startups and scaleups across the UK and Europe. Last year’s overall champion was MediSieve, a London-based biotech company developing “Magnetic Blood Filtration”, a combination of a device and a therapeutic platform for treating blood-borne diseases by removing pathogens, toxins, or other targets directly from a patient’s bloodstream.

This year, the competition has been extended across Australia and New Zealand and will feature a new category called ‘The Impact Challenge’. The challenge encouraged finalists to outline how their innovations can be adapted to support the crisis in Ukraine with a £5,000 cash prize on offer from PACE in London and expertise from Presidium Network in Bristol.

The competition is backed by 10 innovation partners and judges who selected the Top 100 finalists including EIT Food, NatWest, OVHcloud Startup Program, Leeds Teaching Council, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the NIHR Surgical MedTech Co-operative, Greenbackers Investment Capital, Albion Business School, Serica, Exponential Positive Social Impact, PACE and Presidium Network.

The Top 100 Finalists pitched at the Top 100 Innovation Showcase on 12th October 2022 and will feature in a Global Tech for Good report released by Hays and Empact Ventures next year.

At the Top 100 Innovation Showcase event, the 10 Regional Winners were also announced. They will pitch at the Global Final on 24th November 2022 to the global judges, the 10 Innovation Winners will also be announced at the event.

The winners were selected by over 40+ judges led by Hays and 10 Regional Partners including Aon, the OVHcloud Startup Program, Vitality, Angels Den Triple Point, ABGI UK, EG Technology, and Ruffena Capital.

James Milligan, Global Head of Technology at Hays, commented: “We’re really pleased to be supporting the Super Connect for Good competition for the third year running. The competition has a significant part to play in identifying and showcasing tech companies that are tackling real-world problems and we recognise the importance of supporting innovative solutions and products that are truly making a difference in people’s lives across the globe. The calibre of entries for this year’s competition was very high, which is a testament to the quality of the startups and scaleups that entered.”

Kosta Mavroulakis, Founder & CEO of Empact Ventures commented: “We are delighted to co-design the third edition of the Super Connect for Good Competition 2022 to recognise and super connect the most impact-led tech startups and scaleups across the globe. The Top 100 innovation finalists have been selected by our innovation partners with each finalist contributing to the most important parts of society today and tomorrow. We’d like to thank them all for pitching in the Top 100 Innovation Showcase. We look forward to announcing the 10 Innovation Winners at the Global Final later this year”