EIT Community RIS Hub Ukraine and Sigma Software Labs with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine are conducting the Ukrainian regional startup competition of Startup World Cup. The local round is backed by UNICORN program and provides a platform for Ukrainian startups to prepare for the global stage of Startup World Cup, the world’s largest global pitch competition with a $1M prize in investment held on October 2 and 4 in San Francisco, California.
STARTUP WORLD CUP 2024: UKRAINE invites Ukrainian startups to declare out loud about their project and race for prizes. Moreover, the participants will be able to join mentorship sessions on UNICORN program – held for 8 years uniting 980 projects and 2,200 startupers – and “crush test” their idea several times to the tech and startup experts.
The competition has two tracks. The fast track is for startups that have already established themselves. They must meet a minimum two of these criteria:
- at least 15 full-time employees
- $5+ million raised in equity funding
- $1+ million in ARR
Until August 15, such startups can apply directly to the Ukrainian competition’s final, which will be held on September 4, 2024, in the offline format. It will be held simultaneously in two cities — Kyiv and Warsaw — connected by a teleconference.
The second track is for Pre-seed and Seed startups that will benefit from working with mentors and trial pitches at UNICORN crash tests. The mentors and crash test jury will include leaders of the Ukrainian tech ecosystem, venture capital companies, and successful startups. By the results of UNICORN Demo Day, no equity monetary prizes will be awarded to startups at the jury’s choice.
For startups in the UNICORN program track, the following schedule is envisaged:
- Mentoring sessions: August
- Crash test #1: August 19
- UNICORN Demo Day: August 28
- Announcement of startups admitted to the Ukrainian final: August 29
- Final Pitch Day: September 4
The jury will review all applications and determine 10 teams that will be able to participate in the final on the fast track and 10 teams that will be allowed to participate in the UNICORN program track.
All teams will meet on September 4, 2024, at the Ukrainian final, which will be held in Kyiv and Warsaw as one event and will determine the winner of the regional round.
The best team will pitch on behalf of Ukraine at Startup World Cup stage on October 2 and 4 in San Francisco, California, and compete for a $1M prize in investment. SID Venture Partners, ecosystem partner of the competition, will cover the winner’s ticket and accommodation expenses to travel to Startup World Cup.
Please apply if your startup meets the following criteria (for all tracks):
- Has a presence in Ukraine (office, development center, or remote team)
- More than 50% of the company should be owned by Ukrainians
Application open: for UNICORN Program till August 11, 2024; for Fast Track till August 15, 2024
Ukrainian Final: September 04, 2024, offline Kyiv/Warsaw
Find out more about STARTUP WORLD CUP 2024: UKRAINE competition or apply immediately
This year, the UNICORN program is conducted by the EIT Community RIS Hub Ukraine and Sigma Software Labs with support of ecosystem partners – SID Venture Partners and Sigma Software University.
