Startup Competition

The largest international startup competition in Italy

JUNE 4 · 5 · 6, 2025 / BOLOGNAFIERE

Numbers of WMF 2024' Startup Competition
6
FINALISTS
+70.000
ATTENDEES
12
CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE
+3.000
STARTUP & INVESTORS
+90
COUNTRIES
+5.000
APPLICATIONS

THE CONTEXT

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 by March 5th, 2025!

OPPORTUNITIES

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 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.

SELECTION CRITERIA

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 CALL: HOW IT WORKS

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

THE 12 CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE
The WMF encourages and supports the development of innovative entrepreneurial projects also capable of producing a positive influence on the environment and society. For this reason, the WMF Startup Competition gives the opportunities to the applying startups to specify how their business project harnesses digital tools and technologies to address one or more of the 12 Future Challenges identified by the WMF.
  • Future of Cities & Communities

  • Future of Health

  • Future of Work

  • Future of Culture & Travel

  • Future of Food & Agriculture

  • Future of Learning & Education

  • Future of Retail & Customer Experience

  • Future of Marketing

  • Future of Media & Entertainment

  • Future of Sports & Events

  • Future of Finance & Insurance

  • Future of Life On Planet Earth

It will be possible to clarify the compliance to ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria as well as the impact generated by the innovative project on one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals outlined in the UN 2030 Agenda.

Timeline
Sept. 24th
2024
Opening
March, 5th
2025
Closing day
June 4-6
2025
Final on the Mainstage
Want to take part in the WMF Startup Competition 2025?

Fill out the form to participate in the 2025 edition of the Startup Competition.

TEAM PROPOSER

COMPANY

PROJECT

DOCUMENTATION

Enter the telephone area code of your country
Attention: other formats will not be received correctly
(executive summary, business plan, one pager. Pdf, ppt, pptx, doc, docx only - max 10mb)

WMF is part of the Invitalia network

With the support of:

Watch the promo for the Startup Competition 2025

Relive the pitches from past editions

Play
The Finale - BaseTrack Pitch

The Finale - BaseTrack Pitch

Play
The Finale - Intuos Pitch

The Finale - Intuos Pitch

Play
The Finale - Necture Pitch

The Finale - Necture Pitch

Play
The Finale - ResilientX Pitch

The Finale - ResilientX Pitch

Play
The Finale - Barin Sports Pitch

The Finale - Barin Sports Pitch

Play
The Finale - Devengo Pitch

The Finale - Devengo Pitch

Play
Yalla wins Jury award

Yalla wins Jury award

Play
Cyrkl wins Audience Award

Cyrkl wins Audience Award

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Golee wins the Jury Award

Golee wins the Jury Award

Play
Aerariumchain wins Audience Award

Aerariumchain wins Audience Award

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Final of the Startup Competition

Final of the Startup Competition

Play
Yape vince wins Audience Award

Yape vince wins Audience Award

Play
All the pitches of the Final of WMF Online

All the pitches of the Final of WMF Online

Play
Ventur wins Audience Award

Ventur wins Audience Award

Play
PatchAI™ wins Jury Award

PatchAI™ wins Jury Award

Play
Fitprime wins Jury and Audience Awards

Fitprime wins Jury and Audience Awards

Play
Watly wins Jury award

Watly wins Jury award

Play
Tommi wins Aruba prize

Tommi wins Aruba prize

Play
Just Knock wins the Startup Competition of WMF 2016

Just Knock wins the Startup Competition of WMF 2016

Play
Friendz wins the Startup Competition of WMF 2015

Friendz wins the Startup Competition of WMF 2015

WMF Innovation Ecosystem

Some members of the Startup Competition's jury

Martina Fondi
Martina Fondi
Partner, Business Developer & Head of Forestry
Treedom
Andrea Zuanetti
Andrea Zuanetti
CEO
Up2You Srl SB
Virginia Castellucci
Virginia Castellucci
Head of Sustainability
3Bee
Uros Lekic
Uros Lekic
Founder and GP
TenNine VC and TenNine PRO
Daniele Alberti
Daniele Alberti
Head of Global Open Innovation
Planet Smart City - Smartcorehub.com
Carlo Tursi
Carlo Tursi
CEO
UrbanV
Marco Pietrucci
Marco Pietrucci
Head of Innovation
Terna
Francesca Blanc
Francesca Blanc
Researcher - Urban & Regional Planner
LINKS Foundation
Abdul Hadhi
Abdul Hadhi
Family Office Manager
Lamar Holding W.L.L
Fabio Massimo Mondini de Focatiis
Fabio Massimo Mondini de Focatiis
Founder
Growth Capital Srl
Francesco Cerruti
Francesco Cerruti
Direttore Generale
Italian Tech Alliance
Gianluca Dettori
Gianluca Dettori
Chairman, Partner
Primo Ventures
Giuseppe Donvito
Giuseppe Donvito
Partner
P101 Venture
Antonella Grassigli
Antonella Grassigli
Co-Founder and CEO
Doorway SB
Celeste Mastria
Celeste Mastria
VC Investor
360 Capital
Andrea Gennarini
Andrea Gennarini
Managing Partner
2100 Ventures
Davide Fioranelli
Davide Fioranelli
CEO
Lumen Ventures
Nico Valenti Gatto
Nico Valenti Gatto
Director @ Bocconi for innovation
Bocconi for innovation
Alessandro Sebastianelli
Alessandro Sebastianelli
Research Fellow on Quantum Computing for Earth Observation
European Space Agency
Massimo Panella
Massimo Panella
Director of Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications (DIET)
University of Rome "La Sapienza"
Amer Delilbasic
Amer Delilbasic
Doctoral Researcher
Jülich Research Center
Sara Marzella
Sara Marzella
HPC and QC specialist
Cineca
Andrea Ceschini
Andrea Ceschini
PhD Student | CEO & Co-Founder
Sapienza University of Rome | GRID+ s.r.l.
Beatrice Sigurtà
Beatrice Sigurtà
Researcher
Teseas
Damir Haskovic
Damir Haskovic
Department Lead
MINDS & SPARKS GmbH
Selvaggia Fagioli
Selvaggia Fagioli
Co-Founder
My Career Canvas
Claudia Del Monte
Claudia Del Monte
Investment Analyst
SocialFare
Margherita Cielo
Margherita Cielo
Senior Investment Analyst
Doorway Spa
Angelika Popławska
Angelika Popławska
Team Leader, Accelerator Manager
Krakow Technology Park
Marco Franciosa
Marco Franciosa
Co-Founder
Next 14 - Twinkly
Nicola Formichella
Nicola Formichella
CEO
Forbes Italia
Mattia Lecchi
Mattia Lecchi
Head of IMMEDIATE Accelerator
RS Productions
Enrico Mariani
Enrico Mariani
Partner
LCA Studio Legale
Antonio Vecchio
Antonio Vecchio
CEO
Karaoke One
Flavio Farroni
Flavio Farroni
CEO
MegaRide
Maurizio Arnone
Maurizio Arnone
Responsabile dominio di ricerca
Fondazione LINKS
Enrico Dente
Enrico Dente
Director
Motor Valley Accelerator / Plug and Play Tech Center
Sabina Grixoni
Sabina Grixoni
Communication Director
Ford
Sonia Palomo
Sonia Palomo
INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR
PARQUE TECN. DE ANDALUCIA
Emanuele Torlonia
Emanuele Torlonia
Managing Director
IAG
Carlo Tassi
Carlo Tassi
President
IAG
Silvia Pugi
Silvia Pugi
Managing Partner & Investor
Eden Venture
Luca Rossetto
Luca Rossetto
Private Investor
IAG
Nicoletta Morra
Nicoletta Morra
Innovation Network Lead
IAG
Matteo Mingardi
Matteo Mingardi
Chief Innovation Officer
Pelliconi & Co spa
Cristian Ranallo
Cristian Ranallo
Senior Business Innovation Manager at Beyond
UnipolSai
Jessica Sabellico
Jessica Sabellico
Scouting & Partnership Senior Manager
TIM Enterprise
Albert Morro
Albert Morro
Principal
Criteria Venture Tech
Marco Giacosa
Marco Giacosa
Digital & Innovation Manager
Bayer
Elena Lanati
Elena Lanati
Italian Angels for Biotech
Elena Bottinelli
Elena Bottinelli
Head of Digital Transition and Transformation
Gruppo San Donato
Daniel Coen
Daniel Coen
Co-Founder
X-Applied
Aurelio Mezzotero
Aurelio Mezzotero
Managing Partner
The Techshop SGR
Ezio Ravaccia
Ezio Ravaccia
CFO
SOLAR VENTURES
Pietro Maranzana
Pietro Maranzana
Head of PNRR funds - Green & Digital transition
CDP Venture Capital
Cristina Tomassini
Cristina Tomassini
Head of Green Transition Fund
CDP Venture Capital
Antonio Iannone
Antonio Iannone
Foodtech Expert
TheFoodCons
Peter Kruger
Peter Kruger
President
Agrifood-Tech Italia
Giuseppe Manzione
Giuseppe Manzione
CFO
xFarm Technologies
Emmanuela Alesiani
Emmanuela Alesiani
Founder and CEO
Suitefood
Alessandro Annovi
Alessandro Annovi
Innovation Manager e responsabile CIRFOOD DISTRICT
Cirfood
Giovanni Strocchi
Giovanni Strocchi
Co-founder & Venture Partner
BlackSheep Ventures
Niccolò Sanarico
Niccolò Sanarico
General Partner
Primo Ventures
Gabriele Ronchini
Gabriele Ronchini
CEO
Zest Investments
Leonardo Giagnoni
Leonardo Giagnoni
VC, Community Catalyst
Bolzano Slush'd
Noa Segre
Noa Segre
Head of Value Creation
Zest Group
Michele Osella
Michele Osella
Senior Program Manager
Fond. Compagnia di San Paolo
Francesco Portincasa
Francesco Portincasa
Digital Officer - Digital Ecosystem Senior Manager
Coima HT S.r.l.
Daniele Pes
Daniele Pes
Head of Innovation, Technology & Digital Industrial Agreements & Partnerships
Ferrovie dello Stato
Alberto Bernal
Alberto Bernal
Minsait
Practice Director
Shaun Sanders
Shaun Sanders
Managing Partner
VentureCraft, Inc.
Elena Contioso-Fleming
Elena Contioso-Fleming
Regional Director South
EIT Digital
Dr. Ronald Weissman
Dr. Ronald Weissman
Chairman, Angel Capital Association; Chairman, Software Group Band of ANgels
Angel Capital Association
Luis Ureta
Luis Ureta
Executive Vice President Europe
Globant
Aurora Chiste
Aurora Chiste
Head of Strategy
ACTUAL
Adrien Villalonga
Adrien Villalonga
Senior Investment Associate
Big Idea Ventures
Lucyna Szaszkiewicz
Lucyna Szaszkiewicz
CEO & Co-Founder
1Strike.io
Magdalena Chalas
Magdalena Chalas
Investment Manager
Elevator Ventures
Magdalena Stachyra
Magdalena Stachyra
CEO
The Lublin Science and Technology Park
Gerald Müller
Gerald Müller
Senior Advisor
Elephant & Castle Capital GmbH