Pitch competitions
22 programmes. Of these, 4 say they take no equity, and 7 have applications open.
A Swiss startup competition for early-stage founders, running for 30 years. It awards CHF 590,000 in non-dilutive funding each year, with jury feedback and mentoring, and takes no equity.
Funding not published · equity-free
An annual investment competition in Buffalo, New York. Five startups win US$1 million each for 5% equity, then relocate to Buffalo and join 43North's accelerator programme.
US$1m invested · 5% equity
The startup competition at 4YFN, alongside MWC Barcelona. Twenty shortlisted startups pitch in the semi-finals, five finalists pitch at the awards ceremony, and the winner takes EUR 20,000.
€20k prize · equity not published
An annual prize competition for African entrepreneurs with established businesses. Ten finalists share US$1.5 million in grant funding, with up to US$300,000 for the winner.
US$300k grant · equity not published
E-Cell IIT Bombay's free business model competition, open to anyone with an idea or startup, running from online registration through offline zonal rounds and a VC round to finals and a demo day in December.
Funding not published · equity not published
An EU prize for women who founded innovative companies in Europe. Nine prizes across three categories, with EUR 100,000 for the first-placed Women Innovators winner.
€100k prize · equity not published
A global network of three-minute pitch competitions for students, researchers and early-career innovators. About 100 Lab winners a year go on to the Global Finale in Berlin each November.
Funding not published · equity not published
A competition for university students who already run a business while studying. Local and national rounds lead to Global Finals, where students compete for US$100,000 in cash prizes.
US$50k prize · equity not published
Harvard's annual venture competition for student founders from all 13 schools and select alumni. Winners share more than US$500,000, with advising and pitch coaching along the way.
Funding not published · equity not published
The startup pitch competition at Latitude59 in Tallinn. Thirty teams are shortlisted and finalists pitch on the main stage for investment from Baltic and Finnish angel networks and a VC fund.
Funding not published · equity not published
Maharashtra State Innovation Society's startup showcase in which 24 selected startups across 8 sectors win state government work orders of up to ₹15 lakh each to pilot their solutions with departments.
Funding not published · equity not published
A student-run competition at MIT in three stages from December to May: Pitch, Accelerate and Launch. The Launch winner takes a US$100,000 grand prize.
US$100k prize · equity-free
An annual technology startup competition in British Columbia. Entrants get jury feedback over several rounds, and the three highest-placed finalists win prize packages worth over CA$250,000 in total.
CA$110k prize · equity not published
A student startup competition at Rice University in Houston. Invited university teams compete over three days for investment and cash prizes, and every team wins at least one prize.
Funding not published · equity not published
Scotland's twice-yearly business funding competition. Finalists pitch at a live final for grants and loans from GBP 10,000 to GBP 150,000, with mentoring and support.
Funding not published · equity not published
The startup competition at Slush in Helsinki. 100 startups are shortlisted, 20 semi-finalists pitch on stage, and one of three finalists wins EUR 500,000 equity-free.
€500k prize · equity-free
A global pitch competition run through more than 100 regional events; regional champions pitch at a grand finale in San Francisco for a US$1M investment prize.
US$1m invested · equity not published
The global pitch competition at Expand North Star in Dubai, judged in three stage tracks: pre-seed, seed and Series A. Semi-finalists pitch live and winners are picked on site.
Funding not published · equity not published
An annual startup showcase at SXSW in Austin where selected finalists pitch new technology to judges and investors across eight technology categories, plus a student category.
Funding not published · equity not published
TechCrunch's pitch competition at Disrupt in San Francisco. The Battlefield 200 exhibit free and finalists pitch on stage for a US$100,000 equity-free prize.
US$100k prize · equity-free
An annual pitch competition for Bermuda-based businesses, run by the BEDC with the Global Atlantic Re foundation. Five winners receive capital grants of up to $25,000 each.
Funding not published · equity not published
The startup pitch competition at Web Summit in Lisbon, run with KPMG. Startups from the event's startup programme are selected to pitch on stage to investor judges.
Funding not published · equity not published
We list 22 programmes: >>venture>> Startup Competition, 43North, 4YFN Awards, Africa's Business Heroes, Eureka! (E-Cell IIT Bombay), European Prize for Women Innovators and 16 more. Each listing links to the programme's own pages and shows the day we last verified it.
4 of the 22 say they take no equity: >>venture>> Startup Competition, MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, Slush 100 and TechCrunch Startup Battlefield. 17 do not publish their equity terms.
Applications are open for 4YFN Awards (closes 26 October 2026), MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition (closes 28 October 2026), Supernova 0X (Supernova Challenge) (closes 2 November 2026), SXSW Pitch (closes 13 November 2026), >>venture>> Startup Competition (closes 30 November 2026) and 2 more. The deadlines page lists every date we track.
San Francisco (2), Alexandria (1), Austin (1), Barcelona (1), Berlin (1), Boston (1) and 14 more. Delivery varies: each listing says whether the programme runs in person, remotely or both.
Send us your dates and terms and we will publish them with a link to your own pages.