By Business & Finance 
Pictured: The IA Labs (Inclusion and Accessibility Labs) team celebrating their win at the Dublin Tech Summit 2023 Startup Pitch Competition.
The Startup World Cup, the world’s largest startup pitch competition, will make its debut in Ireland, with the semi-final taking place at Dublin Tech Summit 2024.
The tournament, organised by Pegasus Tech Ventures, the global venture capital company, consists of over 50 regional startup competitions across over 20 countries.
The semi-final, taking place at Dublin Tech Summit 2024, will see contestants judged by a panel of venture capitalists, with the winner attending the grand final in Silicon Valley to compete against 50 other semi-finalists from across the globe for the $1,000,000 investment prize. The judging panel will consist of venture capitalist organisations, aimed at supporting startup growth. Featuring partners and directors include VC Seraphim Space, Sure Valley Ventures, Techstars Sustainability Paris, Anamcara Capital, and The Launch Code.
“The Startup World Cup Grand Finale 2023 in San Francisco was more than just an event; it was a celebration of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Martin Tantow, Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures. “Each pitch brought something unique to the table, elevating the competition to new heights of excitement. To be able to bring such an arena to a highly receptive audience in Ireland, has been a long awaited affair for Pegasus Tech Ventures, and we are honoured to partner with Dublin Tech Summit to bring the first ever leg of the event to Ireland, given the nation’s esteemed tech prowess in Europe”
Dublin Tech Summit
Dublin Tech Summit 2024 will also be expanding its Accelerate initiative. Accelerate provides an opportunity for Irish start up & scale-up brands to expand internationally and get noticed by technology movers and shakers, to maximise investment opportunities for the Irish startup scene. Dublin Tech Summit will exhibit all entries in its Accelerate hall for the duration of the summit.
“Dublin Tech Summit is thrilled to announce not only the expansion of our Accelerate programme to empower local innovators but its commitment to empowering those very talents on a global stage as host to the Startup World Cup. To be able to utilise our position as a seminal voice in the mainstream techworld to provide opportunities to the next generation of changemakers, is something Dublin Tech Summit and our Accelerate programme take great pride in. In a world of ever changing corporate tax receipts, nurturing our local and start-up economy is as vital now as it ever was”, said Tracey Carney, Managing Director, Dublin Tech Summit.
How to Compete
To compete on the pitch stage at the DTS24, startups must register online to participate in the Accelerate programme and founders must have formed a legal business entity. The startup can be at any stage of development, from pre-seed to scale-up, and each entrant will submit a 90-second video pitch. 50 startups will be selected from the video pitches to compete in knockout presentation rounds on day one of the summit, with finals on day 2 for those who advance in the competition.
“It is an unprecedented opportunity for Irish startups to get their idea in front of expert investors, and the chance to be in the global grand finale competition in Silicon Valley. Entrepreneurial dreamers are the life of the innovation economy. Providing Irish expertise to the world is a key feature of the Accelerate programme, one which has the potential to see significant dividends in the economy as wider society in dynamic times”, said DC Cahalane former GCMO for Dogpatch Labs, and now Venture Partner at Sure Valley Ventures, and DTS Accelerate stage MC.
Buy your DTS24 ticket here.
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