Applications are now open for the 2025 Entrepreneurship World Cup Pitch Competition. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About Entrepreneurship World Cup Pitch Competition
Opportunity Details
The Entrepreneurship World Cup is one of the largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programs of its kind. Every year, tens of thousands of entrepreneurs from 200 countries compete for a share of US$1 million dollars in cash prizes and millions more worth of investment, support and publicity and a global finals event attended by leading investors.
Since launching in 2019, the competition has connected founders with over US$4 million in cash prizes and another US$250+ million worth of perks plus free support and services.
Benefits of Entrepreneurship World Cup Pitch Competition
Prizes
USD $1.5 million (5,625,000 SAR) in cash and/or investment total for the global winners plus in-kind support for the top 100 global finalists.
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Early Stage
The top five (5) Early Stage finalists receive the following cash prizes.
- Early Stage Champion: $250,000
- 2nd Place: $200,000
- 3rd Place: $150,000
- 4th Place: $100,000
- 5th Place: $50,000
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Growth Stage
The top two (2) Growth Stage finalists receive the following cash prizes.
- Growth Stage Champion: $175,000
- 2nd Place: $100,000
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Sector-Specific
New to the Entrepreneurship World Cup in 2025 is a focus on space tech and startups in the space sector. Finalists from all three stages – Idea, Early and Growth – in the categories below will compete for the following cash prizes.
- SpaceTech for Mining: $100,000
Space mining is the process of extracting resources from asteroids and other celestial objects in space. It involves designing and deploying advanced technologies to scout for resources and extract them.
- SpaceTech for Sports Analytics: $100,000
The integration of machine learning and AI into sports analytics has elevated the precision of predictions and insights that are re-shaping athletics at all levels. New space technologies have the potential to disrupt the evaluation of player performance, deconstruct team strategies, and leverage historical data to better guide decision-making and predict outcomes.
- SpaceTech for Health Monitoring: $100,000
Wearable devices and monitors have become common tools for research on human health, but while they are convenient, they can be uncomfortable and require users to remember to wear them. New technologies are being developed to monitor vital signs in a way that is so unobtrusive that it is easy to forget monitoring is taking place.
- SpaceTech for Agriculture + Resource Management: $100,000
While space technology is transforming how we do things on Earth, it is perhaps in agriculture and resource management that the impact is being felt particularly strongly and has the potential to transform how the sector operates by 2030.
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Idea Stage
The top two (2) Idea Stage finalists receive the following cash prizes.
- Idea Stage Champion: $50,000
- 2nd Place: $25,000
Entrepreneurship World Cup Pitch Competition Requirements
- There is no entry fee.
- Any startup from around the world is welcome to apply and become an applicant.
- Applicant startups must be legally registered or planning to register in their country of residence.
- Applicant startups must be ten years or less old by the date of the Global Finals. Entity age is set by the date of company registration and not idea conception.
- EWC Global Winners who won cash prizes during previous editions of the EWC Global Finals (2019-2024) are eligible to participate again in 2025 with certain candidacy considerations for future would-be prizes:
- EWC Applicants can only be eligible for different prize categories than the prize they earned during previous participation in the competition.
- Only EWC Growth Stage winners are ineligible to participate as applicant candidates for EWC 2025.
- Any other winners and/or category winners are eligible and encouraged to apply, but cannot compete for the same placement.
- To encourage fairness in competition, there is no fast-track for past winners to compete in the Global Finals, and all applicants will pass through the same judging process.
- For example: Entrant A wins Idea Stage prize in 2021. If Applicant A reapplies, they will only be considered for Early Stage or Growth Stage prize categories.
- Employees of the organizers, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotional agencies, suppliers and immediate family members are not eligible to participate in the competition.
- By submitting an application to participate in the Entrepreneurship World Cup, you are agreeing to and accepting the Terms of Use set out below under Terms and Conditions.
Rules
- Applications must be entered on the official application platform.
- Applications must have a minimum of one (1) representative, and this representative must be an executive-level member authorized or deputized to act on behalf of the applicant organization.
- Submitted applications will be considered to be a “team”, regardless of its company size, according to the categories of the competition (see ‘Categories’ section below).
- The applicant team member representing the company must be 18 years old at the time of submission.
- If an aspiring applicant does not meet the minimum age criteria but has an idea or registered company that wants to be considered for admission into the competition, the following provisions must hold:
- A parent or legal guardian must act as a co-applicant.
- The parent or legal guardian of the applicant must consent to all EWC participation and provisions in representation of their child.
- The applicant acknowledges that if selected to participate in the EWC Global Finals, both the applicant and the parent or legal guardian will travel as company representatives.
- The parent or legal guardian, and applicant, must conform to all visa requirements and entry processes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- The applicant acknowledges that travel and hospitality costs for the parent or legal guardian are not covered by the EWC Global Team or its sponsors and/or hosts.
- Application submissions must be the original work solely of the participating company.
- Only completed applications meeting competition deadlines will be considered.
- English is the only official language of the EWC at the global level - this includes all virtual and live public-facing pitching opportunities, the Global Finals event, and bootcamps and/or training experiences.
- Applications must be completed and submitted in English
- Non-English-speaking applicants are welcome to apply, but must disclose at least one (1) English-speaking team member that can serve as its company representative.
- If selected to participate in a National Finals or Global Final event, the team member with sufficient English language proficiency must represent the company.
- Applicants must take all necessary steps to ensure adequate protection of any intellectual property that might be described in their submission (i.e. appropriate intellectual property filings, patent, and copyright notices, etc.).
- EWC Global commits to a policy of not monetizing applicant data.
- EWC Global commits to holding applicant data only for the purposes of the competition journey (application intake, national judging, EWC bootcamp, and Global Finals).
- Applicants agree to the limitation of liability provisions and all other terms and conditions set out in the Terms of Use below.
- The Global Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any submission at any time that, in its judgment and discretion, violates the spirit of the competition, its guidelines, processes, and Rules or Terms and Conditions.
- Any Participating Team engaging in unethical activities, including lying, misrepresentation, non-disclosure of material information, or any activity that may adversely affect the image of EWC or Organizers, will be disqualified and barred from participation in all EWC-related activities.
- Applicants agree to participate in media and press opportunities related to the EWC competition.
- EWC Global Staff will offer advance notice to any participants of such opportunities as they arise.
Section 1: Categories
- All applicants must fit one of the following three (3) categories.
- These categories offer multiple stage-appropriate definitions and classification points, and within this framework, at least one (1) defining criteria must apply to qualify for that stage.
- EWC Global, in the application review, reserves the right to recategorize an applicant’s self-reported Stage classification.
- Idea Stage
- Self-Funding and Conceptual: Your company (or concept) is self-funding directly from founders + family/friends to build a prototype or initiate business operations (No Revenue)
- Unregistered Entity: Your company has not been legally registered as a legal entity and is building a business plan as a pathway to initiate business activities (No Revenue)
- Registered Entity / No Prototype: Your company could be recently legally registered but does not have an MVP or commercially viable product (No Revenue)
- Registered Entity / Prototyping: Your company could be registered and is actively working to develop an MVP (No Revenue)
- Aspiring Entrepreneur: You work on a university research project that will turn into a company (tech spin-off)
- Early Stage
- Seeking Validation: Your company has a commercially viable MVP that is seeking early user/customer validation in the market (Nascent Revenue)
- Seeking Early Funding: Your company is ready for (or actively seeking) its first equity investment
- Early Signs of Growth: Your company shows early evidence of market validation and evidence of business growth in your home market (Generating Revenue)
- Early Equity Funding: Your company successfully earned seed / angel funding and preparing for Series-A funding
- Early International Sales: Your company shows signs of international sales but development is still nascent
- Nascent Bootstrapping: Your company shows evidence of small organic growth and is not seeking equity fundraising (bootstrapping)
- Steps Toward Governance: Your company is Intent or starting to develop a board of directors
- Creating Departments: Your company is growing and there is movement to hiring company executives (part-time or full-time) relieving the CEO/Founder from some parts of the company's operations
- Growth Stage
- Consistent Growth: Your company shows evidence of strong local market validation with consistent growth for at least three years
- Defined Departments: Your company developed an operating structure containing departments with a settled executive team that has clear department hiring standards
- Strong Governance: Your company has an active and engaged board of directors
- Repeatable: Your company shows clear evidence of a repeatable business model that has predictable recurring sales in multiple markets
- Equity Fundraising for Scalability: Your company successfully closed a Series-A (or beyond) round
- Evergreen: Your company can prove strong organic growth without fundraising (you are bootstrapping)
- Exit-Ready: Your company has reached its growth limit or plateau and you are exit-ready (seeking acquisition or private equity)
Section 2: Phases of Participation
- Phase 1: Applications + EWC Global Pool
- Applicants are on-boarded automatically by the competition website and segmented into appropriate categories based on their stage: Idea, Early, Growth.
- Phase 2: EWC 250 Selection
- All registered participants compete against one another in a Global Pool to identify the most-promising startups among each of the three stages. Up to 250 contestants advance past the EWC Global Pool and will be invited to participate in the EWC Virtual Bootcamp in Phase 3.
- Phase 3: EWC Virtual Bootcamp
- All EWC 250 contestants are invited to participate in a structured virtual bootcamp comprising one cohort organized by Idea Stage, Early Stage and Growth Stage. Teams participate in a cohort-level workshop and mentorship sessions designed to explore unique challenges, uncover applicable solutions and refine their pitch and presentation.
- EWC 250 contestants are evaluated at the discretion of EWC judging committee(s) based on the results of due diligence and other factors tied to the Bootcamp. The top 100 are selected as the “EWC 100” Global Finalists.
- Phase 4: EWC 100 Selection
- The EWC 100 are invited to compete in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – receiving complimentary travel – at the EWC Global Finals.
- Phase 5: EWC Global Finals
- All EWC 100 contestants will travel to Riyadh to pitch on the main stage for prizes including a share of USD $1 million.
Timeline
- Phase 1: Applications + Global Pool (February 1 - June 30, 2025)
- Open Call for Applications
- Prospective participants submit applications for consideration.
- All official EWC Global information will be sent to the email address (or other contact methods provided) in the application– applicants are responsible for ensuring that the email address provided is functional and that correspondence is read on a regular basis.
- The EWC Global team reserves the right to extend or shorten the application period at its sole discretion within the global calendar set in the EWC guidelines; though any changes will be announced to its global network of national partners.
- Applications are reviewed by the EWC Global Team and an international panel of judges on an ongoing basis and early applications are highly encouraged.
- Phase 2: EWC 250 Selection (July 2025)
- The EWC Global team will announce the top 250 highest-scoring applicants ("the EWC 250").
- The EWC 250 will be required to update and submit supplemental participant information including (but not limited to): company profile details, branding collateral, and travel assistance information.
- EWC 250 contestants commit to staying up-to-date with requests made from the EWC Global Team with additional information (as required) that will be communicated to the email address associated with the application with advance notice and with clear instructions.
- Phase 3: Virtual Bootcamp (August 2025)
- The Bootcamp is a no-cost and value-added virtual training curriculum set to unite the EWC 250 cohort comprising the three stage categories: Idea, Early, and Growth stage).
- The Bootcamp schedule and all logistical considerations for virtual participation will be communicated to the EWC 250 directly via the email address associated with the application.
- EWC 250 contestants are strongly encouraged to participate and strengthen their chances to be selected as one of the 100 global finalists ("the EWC 100").
- Evaluation to define a final list of Global Finals participants involves a process that will identify one hundred (100) contestants (total) across the three stage categories (Idea, Early, and Growth stage).
- This evaluation process involves conducting due diligence and assessing Bootcamp participation.
- The shortlisted one hundred (100) companies may take into consideration needs for regional and geographic distribution, balance among stage categories, industry range and other factors.
- The newly assembled list of one hundred (100) Group Stage Contestants will be consolidated into a cohort known as “EWC 100”.
- Any and all travel and booking arrangements for the EWC 100 will be facilitated by local hosts and the EWC Global team who will guide the cohort through this process.
- One company representative will be a designated traveler.
- Participants must have a valid passport whose expiration date is MORE THAN six months from the arrival date. No exceptions can be made.
- Travelers must complete all EWC Global Finals pre-travel documentation by the designated deadline date. No exceptions can be made.
- Phase 4: EWC 100 Selection (September 2025)
- The EWC 100 are invited to compete in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – receiving complimentary travel (see section 4 below) – at the EWC Global Finals.
- Phase 5: Global Finals (November 2025)
- The Global Finals will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at BIBAN, one of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s largest business expos. All EWC 100 cohort members are invited to participate in this pitching competition.
Section 4: Prizes and Awards for EWC 2025
- Travel to the EWC Global Finals: EWC 100 finalists will receive a full travel scholarship for one (1) designated traveler to participate in the EWC Global Finals.
- The designated traveler must be the Founder, Co-Founder or CEO. In special cases, with the approval of the Organizer, the CFO, COO, CTO would be eligible to participate at the Global Finals in their place contingent on criteria including but not limited to: health, English language proficiency, or travel documents.
- Once a designated traveler has completed the travel document issuance process, no changes can be made. EWC Global cannot make adjustments to its final roster of travelers within a three-week period prior to the Global Finals.
- If a designated traveler cannot travel, the company will forfeit its spot in the Global finals.
- The scholarship includes: a round-trip flight ticket, visa, hotel accommodation, and local transportation.
- Additional co-Founders and/or any other Team Members are welcome to join the EWC Global Finals
- Any other team members wishing to accompany a designated traveler will assume responsibility for travel, lodging, and venue access expenses as well as any expense for relevant travel documents (including but not limited to- visas, etc.).
- EWC Awards and Cash Prizes: The EWC 100 will be eligible to receive their share of US $1 million in non-dilutive cash prizes.
Section 5: Evaluations
- Evaluation Criteria – EWC Global Pool
- Applicants participating in the EWC Global Pool will be evaluated by an international panel of judges. Please check back for specific criteria.
- Evaluation Criteria – EWC Global Finals
- Applicants participating in the Global Finals will be evaluated by a panel of judges (designated by the EWC Global team). Please check back for specific criteria.
- Judges
- All Judges agree to Terms of Confidentiality prior to judging applications and pitches, and they agree to abide by the Rules and Terms and Conditions.
- Under any circumstance, mentors of Participating Teams cannot be judges.
- Judges will participate on a voluntary basis and will not be paid by Organizers or any event sponsor/partner.
Application Date and Process
- Click on the link to the application website to apply.
Application Deadline
30 June, 2025
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Entrepreneurship World Cup Pitch Competition
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