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St. Louis one of 10 U.S. cities selected to compete in $1M Startup World Cup

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For the first time ever, St. Louis has been selected to serve as one of 10 US Cities to compete in the largest global pitch competition, the Startup World Cup.

Hosted in Silicon Valley on Oct. 2 through 4, 2024, the Startup World Cup convenes top startups from 70+ cities around the world to compete for a $1 million cash prize.

Partnering with some of the world’s largest conferences and tech events to host 70+ regional startup competitions for North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Australia, the World Cup is hosted by Pegasus Ventures in San Francisco. The global conference brings together the top startups, VCs, entrepreneurs and world-class tech CEOs to support the high-profile pitch competition. Hosting 20+ speakers, 200+ international investors, and 2000+ attendees, the Startup World Cup serves as a global hub for high-growth startups.

2024 will mark the first year that St. Louis is invited to compete, being among only 10 U.S. cities in the global competition. The opportunity was born out of a collaboration between TechSTL and the Skandalaris Center at Washington University, presenting an incredible opportunity for St. Louis companies.

Emily Hemingway, executive director of TechSTL, said, “When we were presented with the chance to bring the Startup World Cup to St. Louis, it was a no-brainer. Our community is home to some incredible startups who are primed for the global stage. The invitation and launch window happened very quickly, but the team at TechSTL is working hard, even in the midst of STL TechWeek, to ensure that the program is executed with integrity over the coming months. We are rallying partners, judges, mentors, and industry leaders to support the 100 startups along this multi-month journey to find our winning team.”

The competition is organized under 10 industries and any locally based business can enter to compete, regardless of their stage, sector, or fundraising history.

Kicking-off at this week’s STL TechWeek at the Closing Ceremony on April 12, companies will be able to enter the competition by submitting a one minute video pitch. Pitches will then be voted by the community to select the top 100 companies, the 10 highest ranked companies within each of the industries.

The 10 industries include:

  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Agtech
  • AI / ML
  • Biotech
  • Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
  • Cybersecurity
  • eCommerce
  • Fintech
    Healthtech
  • Technology as a Service / Software

The voted 100 companies will compete in a series of Semi-Final pitch events during the summer where with the companies going head-to-head in an industry focused pitch event, ultimately selecting the 10 winning teams to compete in the St. Louis Regional Finals. On Sept. 9, TechSTL will host the Regional Finals at The Pageant in U-City to select the St. Louis Champion. All of the top 10 companies will be given a cash prize and a ticket to the Grand Finale in Silicon Valley on Oct. 2 through 4. The Champion company will be allowed to pitch in the $1 Million Startup World Cup, in front of 200+ International VCs.

Those who wish to learn more can attend two events during STL TechWeek:

The TechSTL team will be unveiling the 10 Semi-Final events and the list of judges at the STL TechWeek Closing Ceremony on April 12. The announcement is happening in the midst of TechWeek, which is the capstone event of TechSTL, with 50 free events at 30 different venues across St. Louis. Attendees can also find more information about the competition on the TechSTL website: https://techstl.com/worldcup

 

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