Startup Competition

THE CONTEXT

WMF, a Certified International Fair, has been spreading entrepreneurial culture and creating development opportunities for the Italian and international innovative ecosystem for over 10 years, in order to generate a flow of opportunities between Italy and abroad.

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

At WMF you will find investors, incubators, VCs, Business Angels, corporations, and accelerators with a total of:

• 1.500 Billions > Total Portfolio Value

• 304 Billions > AUM

• 72.8 Billions > Total Participation in Deals

• 17,000 > Fundings Rounds

Among the many initiatives within it, this year WMF once again organizes the Startup Competition - now in its 14th edition - with the involvement of the main international players from the world of innovation and entrepreneurship. The Competition final will be held on the Mainstage during WMF 2026, scheduled for June 24th, 25th, and 26th at BolognaFiere, and will be streamed worldwide.

The call for the 2026 edition is now closed. Fill out the form to apply for the WMF 2027 Startup Competition!

THE OPPORTUNITIES

From the Startup Competition call, 6 finalists will be selected to compete on the Mainstage for the overall prize pool. An additional 140 startups (10 for each "Challenge of the Future") will access the Startup Stage, where they will pitch to the audience, VCs, investors, and international representatives from leading incubators and accelerators. Furthermore, all participating and selected startups from the call will have the opportunity to:

1. Access the Startup District:
   The exhibition area dedicated to startups from around the world.

2. Organize B2B Meetings and High-Level Networking:
   Thanks to the WMF business community composed of investors, VCs, open innovation stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and potential business partners with whom it will be easy to connect during and after the event.

3. Innovation Night & Side Events
   Access exclusive networking evenings involving investors and representatives from international ecosystems.

4. Receive other Prizes and Awards:
   Thanks to access to exclusive resources such as potential funding, acceleration programs, and strategic partnerships. In 2025: 2.6 Million (Total Value Prize).

5. Attend training and industry panels:
   Thanks to the stages dedicated to open innovation, it is possible to update entrepreneurial and technological skills, learn best practices, and increase competitiveness.

6. Participate in the WMF International Roadshow:
   The international project that accompanies the best Italian startups abroad to major industry events.

7. Access Saudi Makes Future (Riyadh – Dec 14-16)
   To enter the Middle Eastern market and present your project to investors and companies across the MENA region.

8. Access the WMF global network:
   with possible involvement in related initiatives in Italy and beyond.

9. Present to an International Audience and Industry Media:
   Gain visibility through an international audience composed of investors, industry-leading companies, and specialized media outlets.

10. Access the Tecnopolo di Bologna:
    with possible involvement in related activities.

Among the winners of previous editions are Invigilo AI and Electra Vehicles, MyLeg, Golee, AerariumChain, Yalla, Cyrkl, Basetrack, Intuos, Isaac, Yape, lightScience, FlowPay, Recornea, TOMMI, Friendz, PatchAI, FitPrime.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The call is dedicated to Italian and foreign startups and companies composed of teams with innovative projects or ideas in the technological and digital sector. Furthermore, special consideration is given to innovative projects aimed at generating a positive impact on territories and society. Submitted projects are selected based on the following criteria:

• Team skills, industry knowledge, project feasibility;

• Development stage of the product/service;

• Degree of innovation and its defensibility;

• Competitive context and positioning;

• Responsiveness to and size of market and customer needs;

• Business potential of the idea;

• Completeness of the submitted documentation;

• The project's impact on the challenges of the future.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE CALL

The Festival's Innovation Team will announce the 6 finalist startups, chosen from Italian and international applicants, who will present their pitch during the Final on the Mainstage. During the final, the selected startups will present their project in front of the jury composed of investors, industry players, and incubators, and to the WMF audience, present both in the hall and connected online.

Each team will have 3 minutes to present the key elements of their idea. The jury will then have another 2 minutes to ask in-depth questions. At the end, the jurors and the audience will cast their vote to determine the two winners, the one chosen by the jury and the one chosen by the audience.

> Read the regulations

>Follow the pitch guide

THE PITCH

The elevator pitchis the heart of the Startup Competition. It is a brief presentation that encapsulates the key elements of an entrepreneurial idea, designed to attract potential investors or promote a business idea.

> Download the support material

> Discovers the winning Startups from previous editions

The call for the 2026 edition is now closed. Fill out the form to apply for the WMF 2027 Startup Competition!