Launch of the Ukrainian Edition of Startup World Cup

STARTUP WORLD CUP 2024: UKRAINE backed by the UNICORN program 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 the acceleration program UNICORN – held for 8 years uniting 980 projects and 2,200 startupers – and “crush test” their idea 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 minimum two of these criteria:

• at least 15 full-time employees
• $5+ million raised in equity funding
• $1+ million in ARR

Till August 15, such startups can apply directly to the Ukrainian final of the competition, which will be held on September 4, 2024, in an 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: July – August
• Crash test #1: August 9
• 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

Find out more about STARTUP WORLD CUP: 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.

About EIT Community RIS Hub Ukraine

The EIT Community RIS Hub in Ukraine was established in December 2023 in Kyiv as a one-stop shop for Ukrainian entrepreneurs, academics, and innovators to get closer to EIT opportunities. As of now, the EIT Community RIS Hub in Ukraine (hereinafter—EIT Hub Ukraine) has already organized or co-organized 8 events. But for the last 3 years, members of the EIT team have conducted more than 300 events in total (both small workshops and summits for 400+ people) over the past two years.

EIT Hub Ukraine has a well-established network of more than 100 universities, 30 corporations, and 50 other stakeholders, i.e., governmental agencies, associations, and business support organizations. It is planned to involve all players who can potentially strengthen the initiative and support the participants with their knowledge, experience, and expertise.

About Sigma Software Labs

Sigma Software Labs is a separate investment wing of Sigma Software Group – TOP 100 Global IT Outsourcing by IAOP. Labs is using the synergy of Customers and Partners network to scale portfolio startups, also helping clients to solve their business needs more efficiently. Investment strategy is focused on becoming an active partner rather than just an investor for startups, facilitating their growth in terms of not just B2B contacts, fundraising opportunities, but also access to infrastructure and resources of Sigma Software Group. Managing a portfolio of $2.2 invested in 18 companies, and recognized as one of the most active investors in Ukraine during the full-scale war.

About Startup World Cup

Startup World Cup is a series of global startup conferences and competitions, powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures. It consists of 75+ regional startup competitions in more than 20 different countries around the world, leading up to the Grand Finale in Silicon Valley. The top startups from each regional event will fly out to the USA to compete for a $1,000,000 in investment. The Grand Finale for Startup World Cup 2024 will be held on October 4 in San Francisco, California at the Hilton Union Square.