Will.i.am Awards 'Superstar' Entrepreneurs in Final of $1M Chivas Competition

AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES and LONDON, May 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The United Kingdom's Change Please is Announced as Winner of the Chivas Venture 2018 at TNW Conference in Amsterdam

Tech entrepreneur and creative innovator will.i.am was in Amsterdam tonight to help select and crown the winner of the Chivas Venture 2018 - Chivas Regal's global competition that gives away $1 million in no-strings funding every year to the world's most promising social startups. From 27 finalists, U.K. enterprise Change Please walked away with the greatest amount of funding, receiving $350,000 following a live pitch at Europe's leading tech festival, TNW Conference, in front of thousands of international tech enthusiasts, investors and entrepreneurs.

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Change Please empowers the homeless community by training them to be baristas. The London-based startup takes the homeless off the streets and ensures they find housing within 10 days - as well as providing bank accounts and jobs paying the London Living Wage. Their coffee, served in environmentally-friendly cups, is responsibly sourced from farms that support local communities in need.

Reacting to his win, Founder of Change Please, Cemal Ezel, said:

"I'm so happy - I think I'm still in shock. It's been a hard and long journey, but to have made 26 incredible new friends from all over the world - that's been the real highlight for me. The last four months have been amazing; I just want to give a huge thanks to Chivas."

The Global Final - hosted by BAFTA winning actor, writer, director and television presenter, Richard Ayoade - was the culmination of the fourth year of the Chivas Venture. This year's competition attracted 2,600 entries from across the world, which were whittled down to 27 finalists all competing for a share of Chivas Regal's $1 million fund. The judging panel - which comprised will.i.am, Founder & CEO, I.AM.PLUS; Alexandre Ricard, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard - parent company of Chivas Regal; Sheila Herrling, Senior Fellow at The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation; and Kresse Wesling MBE, Co-Founder and Director of sustainable luxury brand Elvis & Kresse - assessed each startup based on their ability to create sustainable change through a viable business model and potential to scale.