Pitch competitions are the gateway to investors. Startups across the globe know this fact, and thus they are doing all they can to get into these competitions. Most startups fail to get into these competitions because they need help preparing a good pitch on time. To compete, you should prepare your Pitch like a professional.
What is a startup pitch competition? A startup competition is an event where startups can pitch their ideas to investors and other companies. A university or a business incubator typically organizes competitions, but they can be run by any organization that wants to help startups.
A startup competition aims to help you get started with your business idea. If you win one of these competitions, you might get some funds or other resources to help you get started on your vision. You also might meet some investors who can help make your dream come true!
In this article, we'll talk about the top 15 startup pitch competitions you should consider if you're looking for funding for your startup.
1. SXSW Pitch
SXSW pitch competition is one of the most well-known pitch competitions in the world.It's one of the biggest in terms of audience, with thousands of attendees from all over the world and a panel of judges that includes some of the most famous names in tech.
SXSW Pitch alums have raised $14.5 billion in funding, acquired by companies such as Google, Huffington Post, and Apple. 82% of these alum companies received the grant. The SXSW pitch competition is also known as "Startup Village”, "Startup Showcase”, or simply "Startup Competition”. It's a great chance to get exposure to your startup and connect with potential investors or partners.
Website: https://www.sxsw.com/
Location: Austin, Texas USA
Industry focus: Covers many different industries.
The prize you can win: You can get funding for your project, but the amount varies.
2. Y Combinator and "Demo Day"
Y Combinator is a startup incubator where entrepreneurs can get their ideas off the ground and into the market.
Y Combinator was founded in 2005 by Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston as a way for founders to get funding for their startups. The company has invested in over 1,800 companies since then, including Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit. The most recent batch includes more than 550 companies from all over the world that are working on everything from artificial intelligence to video games.
Each year Y Combinator hosts an event called Demo Day, where all of the startups in their program pitch their products to investors.
Website: https://www.ycombinator.com
Location: Computer History Museum, California, USA
Industry focus: Focuses on a wide range of industries
The prize you can win: There is no prize money at Demo Day, but being invited means getting funding from Y Combinator.
3. America's Seed Fund
If you need early-stage research and development funding, America's Seed Fund is a great option. The funding option offers to finance early-stage Research and development and takes no equity in your company.
They host a Q&A session for startups and small industries to learn about the program and the project pitch process regularly.America's Seed Fund accepts project pitches around the clock every day of the year. Typically, it takes more than one month to get an official response from NSF staff.
Website: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/
Location: Virtual
Industry focus: Covers many different industries.
The prize you can win: Varies
4. Startup World Cup
Startup World Cup is the world's largest startup competition. It's a global competition that allows you to pitch your ideas to 2,500 investors, partners and experts.
This is a high-stakes competition with a million-dollar prize. They encourage startups at any stage to apply, but it's important to note that the startup must be an incorporated entity and not just a loose idea.
Website: https://www.startupworldcup.io/
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Industry focus: To improve lives and transform industries—such as healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, transportation,
The prize you can win: $1,000,000 in investment capital.
5. Web Summit PITCH
Web Summit is the largest tech conference in Europe. It's an opportunity to meet with CEOs, founders, and investors worldwide. It's also a chance to network with other attendees and learn more about emerging technologies.
It's where the world's top startups face off in front of more than 2,500 journalists and the founders and CEOs of some of the biggest Organizations in the world.
Website: https://websummit.com/startups/pitch
Location: Lisbon, Portugal.
Industry focus: Technology
The prize you can win: There is no monetary prize, but every previous winner will tell you the exposure is priceless.
6. MIT $100K Pitch
MIT's $100K Pitch is a pitch competition for MIT students. The aim of the competition is to encourage students to think about how they can use their skills, creativity, and knowledge to solve problems in the world.
The three-fold MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition will give you a chance to prove yourself in front of a prestigious crowd and mingle with others trying to achieve the same goal.
The only requirement is that each team must include at least one currently registered MIT student. However, all full-time and part-time undergraduates, graduate students, and doctoral candidates are presently registered MIT students.
Website: https://www.mit100k.org/
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Industry focus: Technology oriented, but the spectrum is wide.
The prize you can win: At the PITCH stage, you will receive $5,000 in funding. At the Accelerate stage, you'll receive up to $10,000. And at the final Launch stage, you can receive up to $100,000.
7. CodeLaunch
CodeLaunch is a seed accelerator event where early-stage tech startups are paired with professional software development teams to accelerate their trajectory toward MVP, seed funding, and beyond.
CodeLaunch provides a free and easy way for first-time founders to launch their startups. Over the life of these events, over $8.5 million in funding has been raised by CodeLaunch startups. CodeLaunch doesn't ask for equity in return, which is a nice perk.
Website: https://codelaunch.com/
Industry focus: Covers many different industries.
The prize you can win: Varies
8. SPIE Startup Challenge
The SPIE Startup Challenge is a global competition that provides an opportunity for startup companies with solutions in sensing, imaging, communication, and specialized applications to compete with each other and win recognition. The challenge is open to any startup company that has yet to reach commercialization and has a solution targeted toward the commercial market.
This program invites new entrepreneurs to pitch their light-based technology business plan to a team of business development experts and investors. The focus is on new businesses, with students, post-docs, professors, and other first-time business starters encouraged to apply.
Website: https://spie.org
Industry focus: Technology
9. Global Startup Competition
Global Startup Competition is a startup competition that aims to find the best startups worldwide. The competition has been running for over 20 years and has become one of the most popular startup competitions in the world.
The competition has attracted thousands of applicants from all over the globe, and it is open to anyone who wants to participate.
Website: https://getinthering.co/global-final-2021/
Location: Virtual startup pitch competition.
Industry focus: Covers many different industries.
The prize you can win: You can benefit from a 1-year business development support with all expenses covered and an investment offer of up to €500,000.
10. Founders Live
Founders Live hosts live events for entrepreneurs worldwide, has 100 cities across its network, and adds two new cities every month. These events attempt to create physical and virtual spaces for people to gather, learn, explore and celebrate entrepreneurship.
Founders Live is held monthly, so there's always an upcoming opportunity to pitch your startup. There are no formal requirements for getting on stage, but it's good to remember that your presentation should be interesting.
Website: https://www.founderslive.com/
Industry focus: Covers many different industries.
The prize you can win: Varies
11. Next Founders
Next Founder is a startup that accelerates the growth of Canada's most promising entrepreneurs. They offer mentorship, networking opportunities, and access to capital.You can present your startup to investors and participate in many workshops before the big presentation on venture Day.
Website: https://www.nextcanada.com/next-founders/
Location: Toronto, Ontario.
Industry focus: Covers many different industries, but your business has to be located within the Southern Ontario region.
The prize you can win: Grants provide up to $30K in non-dilutive funding.
12. Arch Grants Competition
Arch Grants is a not-for-profit organization that aims to help transform ideas into reality by awarding grants to entrepreneurs who are building for the future.Arch Grants revitalizes the St. Louis region through economic development and entrepreneurship, including small business funding and support for St. Louis-area entrepreneurs.
They have an annual competition where you can win $50,000 and relocation assistance to move your business to the St. Louis region. They provide access to pro bono and discounted legal services, accounting and banking services, angel investment opportunities, and educational programs.
Website: https://archgrants.org/competition-competition/
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Industry focus: Covers many different industries but focuses on supporting the economy of St. Louis.
The prize you can win: A $50,000 grant without having to give up any equity.
13. Cartier Women's Initiative Awards
The Cartier Women's Initiative Awards (CWIA) is a global program that aims to support and empower women-led businesses. The CWIA was established by Cartier in 2009 and has since awarded over 1,200 winners.
The awards recognize outstanding women entrepreneurs from all around the world who are leading businesses that are making an impact on their communities. In addition to recognizing these exceptional women, the CWIA aims to inspire other women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
Website: https://www.cartierwomensinitiative.com/regional-awards
Location: Singapore
Industry focus: covers many different industries. Categories include anything from consumer goods, education, hospitality & tourism to agriculture and science.
The prize you can win: 1st prize: $100,000; 2nd prize: $60,000; 3rd prize: $30,000.
14. Edelman Award — INFORMS
The Edelman competition showcases the year's best-advanced analytics and operations research projects. This competition recognizes and rewards outstanding operations research, management science, and advanced analytics projects.
You can be someone other than a startup founder or even a tech entrepreneur to apply for the competition. You can still qualify if you're a consultant or department head.
Website: https://www.informs.org/Recognizing-Excellence/2023-Edelman-Award
Industry focus: Covers many different industries.
15. U. Pitch Collegiate Pitch Competition
U. Pitch Collegiate Pitch Competition is a pitch competition that allows college students to pitch their ideas to investors and industry professionals.This event aims to raise awareness and funding for startups by providing an opportunity for students to pitch their business ideas.
Anyone who has started a company or has an idea for a company can apply. Businesses must be headquartered in the U.S., cannot have raised more than $1 million in the capital, and cannot be cannabis-related.
Website: https://www.futurefounders.com/u-pitch/#anchor
Location: Virtual.
Industry focus: covers many different industries.
The prize you can win: $10,000
For all the startups out there, this is a great chance to earn cash and build an audience and network. Getting your name out to the public is essential to being successful with your startup and gaining recognition. After conducting this research, we only realized how much these competitions could benefit the startups by giving them funding, mentorship, publicity, and knowledge.
