Startup Competition Young

Fostering an ecosystem of young entrepreneurs

JUNE 15 · 16 · 17, 2023 / RIMINI EXPO CENTRE & ONLINE

NUMBERS of WMF
+90
COUNTRIES
+3.000
STARTUPS and INVESTORS
+90
STAGES
+1.000
SPEAKERS
+70.000
ATTENDEES in 2024
+50
BANDS and DJS
+130
INSTITUTIONAL GUESTS
+700
EXHIBITORS

THE FRAMEWORK

Entrepreneurship is a pivotal factor in a country's economic and social growth. This is the reason why every year WMF organizes the Startup Competition Young, a competition aiming at promoting entrepreneurial culture among younger people and encouraging the development of innovative business ideas to tackle collective social and economical issues.

The call is currently closed and this year, Startup Competition Young is scheduled on June 15, 16, and 17 during WMF 2023. If you have a great, innovative business idea, model, or project that you want to share at the Festival, apply now for the 2024 competition by filling out the form below.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The competition targets students under the age of 22 years old. More than 300 students and over 120 applications were involved in the previous editions. The projects selected had the unique opportunity to pitch their business idea in front of a profiled audience of leading players in the field (incubators, accelerators, Corporate Ventures, etc.) and to win prizes offered by some of our partners, including IBAN, Amazon Web Services and The Hive.

THE CALL

The structure of the call mirrors the WMF Startup Competition.

The call for the Startup Competition Young is currently closed. Finalists will pitch their projects during the WMF at the Rimini Expo Centre, onsite and through the online interactive platform.

Each team will have 3 minutes to convey the key elements of their project. The jury will be given another 3 minutes to ask more detailed questions about the projects. At the end of the presentation, the jury and the audience will place their vote, announcing the winner. 

The call is currently closed, but you can already apply for the next edition filling the form

THE PITCH

Participants will be challenging each other with an elevator pitch in front of the WMF audience and a jury of field professionals and experts. The pitch must cover all key elements of the entrepreneurial project.

Find below the guidelines on how correctly structure and deliver your pitch.

> Download support material

TOPICS

Participants must submit an innovative business idea that tackles one or more critical social issues. Each team can choose from one of the following topics:

  • Sport and wellness

  • Education

  • Tourism

  • Accessibility services

  • Justice

  • Employability

  • Eldercare services

  • Green economy and sustainability

SELECTION CRITERIA

The finalists will be selected according to the following criteria:

  • Originality of the idea

  • Feasibility of the business idea

  • Socio-economic impact and overall sustainability of the project

  • Stage of product development

  • Degree of innovation and defensibility

  • Social relevance of the project

Want to participate in WMF24's Startup Competition Young?


Fill in the form to apply for the Startup Competition Young, our team will review your submission and get back to you.

(max100 words)

JUNE 4 · 5 · 6, 2025
BOLOGNAFIERE
WMF - We Make Future

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