The WMF, International Trade Fair and Festival on Innovation: AI, Tech and Digital, has been promoting entrepreneurial culture and creating development opportunities for the Italian and international innovation ecosystem for over 10 years, aiming to generate a flow of opportunities between Italy and abroad.

Within the WMF, the World Startup Fest takes place - the international reference event for startups, scaleups, and investors. The last edition saw over 70,000 attendees from 90 countries and more than 3,000 participants including startups, investors, incubators, VCs, Business Angels, corporates, and accelerators.

Among its many initiatives, the WMF is also organizing the Startup Competition - now in its 13th edition - involving the main international players in the world of innovation and entrepreneurship. The final of the Competition will take place on the Mainstage during the WMF 2025, scheduled for June 4, 5, and 6 at BolognaFiere, and will be streamed worldwide.

The call for the WMF 2025 Startup Competition is officially open: fill out the form to apply!

From the call for the Startup Competition, 6 finalist startups are selected to participate in the Mainstage Finale, competing for the prize pool, while another 120 startups gain access to the Startup Stage. There, they present their pitches to the audience and representatives of major incubators and accelerators.

Additionally, other selected startups from the call have the opportunity to:

• Present to an International and Knowledgeable Audience:
  Thanks to an international audience consisting of investors, industry-leading companies, and participants from around the world.

• Access the Startup District:
  An exhibition area dedicated to startups from all over the world.

• Organize B2B Meetings and High-Level Networking:
  Through the WMF business community, which includes investors, venture capitalists, open innovation stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and potential business partners. Connecting during and after the event is facilitated.

• Gain Extensive Visibility:
  Participating startups are in the spotlight of a broad audience, receiving attention from media, influencers, and industry professionals.

• Receive Additional Awards and Recognitions:
  Accessing exclusive resources such as potential funding, acceleration programs, and strategic partnerships.

• Attend Industry Educational stages and Panels:
  Thanks to dedicated stages on open innovation, entrepreneurs can update their business and technological skills, learn best practices, and enhance their competitiveness.

• Join the WMF International Roadshow:
  An international project that accompanies the best Italian startups abroad, participating in major industry events.

• Access the Global WMF Network:
  With the possibility of involvement in related initiatives in Italy and beyond.

  Winners of previous editions include TOMMI, Friendz, PatchAI, FitPrime, Isaac, Yape, light science, FlowPay, Recornea, MyLeg, Golee, AerariumChain, Yalla, Cyrkl, as well as Basetrack and Intuos, the two winning projects of the WMF2024 Startup Competition.

The call is dedicated to startups and businesses - made up of individuals or teams - with innovative projects or ideas regarding the digital/technological sector. Innovative projects aimed at generating a positive impact on territories and society will be considered with particular interest.Applicants will be selected according to the following criteria:

• Skills of the team, knowledge of the sector, the feasibility of the project;

• The development stage of the product/service;

• Degree of innovation and its defensibility;

• Positioning in relation to competitors;

• Consistency with market and customers’ needs and potential outreach;

• The business potential of the idea;

• Completeness of the documentation presented.

The WMF's Innovation Team will announce the 6 finalist startups, selected from both Italian and international participants, who will present their pitches during the Finale on the Mainstage. During the finale, the selected startups will present their projects in front of a panel of investors, industry players, and incubators, as well as the WMF audience, both in the venue and online.

Each team has 3 minutes to present the key elements of their idea. The jury will then have an additional 2 minutes to ask follow-up questions. At the end, both the jury and the audience will cast their votes to determine the two winners, one chosen by the jury and one chosen by the audience.

> Read the instructions

The elevator pitch is a brief presentation where you describe your business venture in a nutshell. A solid elevator pitch needs to convey the business idea in a concise manner, so as to attract the audience's attention quickly.

> Download the support material

> Watch the winning pitches from past editions