Call for Startup World Cup

WMF hosts the regional finals of the Startup World Cup

15 · 16 · 17 JUNE 2023 / RIMINI FIERA

The call is currently closed

WMF 2023 in NUMBERS
+89
COUNTRIES
10
PAVILLIONS
+100
STAGES
+1.000
SPEAKERS
MAINSTAGE
+100 TALKS and SHOWS
+30
BANDS and DJS
+130
INSTITUTIONAL GUESTS
+2.000
STARTUPS and INVESTORS
+670
EXHIBITORS
+150
CREATORS

In partnership with

THE INITIATIVE AND THE OPPORTUNITY

The WMF - We Make Future, International Trade Fair and Festival on Tech and Digital Innovation, will host the regional stage of the Startup World Cup, the initiative promoted by Pegasus Tech Ventures.

The initiative is dedicated to startups and innovative realities on the European scene. The selected startup will have the chance to compete at the Startup World Cup Final, scheduled to take place in San Francisco (USA) next fall, whose prize up for grabs is $1 Million in direct investment.

The call Startup World Cup is currently closed.

HOW IT WORKS AND WHO IT IS FOR

The call is open to startups from every industry and development stage.

The regional stage of the Startup World Cup will take place at WMF 2023 - June 15 to 17 at the Rimini Fiera.

If you have a project or startup, apply by May 9: Selected startups will have the opportunity to be among the six Startup Competition finalists at WMF23 and compete for entry into the San Francisco finals of the Startup World Cup.

In addition, startups will be able to compete for prizes provided by the Startup Competition partners at We Make Future!

The call Startup World Cup is currently closed.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The initiative is dedicated to Italian and international startups and companies - composed of individuals or in teams - with innovative projects or ideas in the technology and digital sector. In addition, special interest is given to those innovative projects aimed at generating a positive impact on society.

  • Candidate projects are selected based on the following criteria:

  • Competence of the team, knowledge of the field, the feasibility of the project;

  • Stage of product/service development;

  • Degree of innovation and defensibility of the same;

  • Competitive environment and positioning;

  • Responsiveness to and size of market and customer needs;

  • Potential for development of the idea in research or business;

  • Completeness of the documentation submitted.

WMF'S COMMITMENT TO STARTUPS

WMF - We Make Future has for years been committed to supporting startups and innovative business projects that can bring progress and a positive impact on society. There are numerous events and initiatives aimed at the ecosystem of innovative entrepreneurship: in addition to the historic Startup Competition, the largest international competition for startups that this year reaches its eleventh edition, WMF realizes the World Startup Fest, the international benchmark event for startups, scaleups and investors from around the world. In 2022, the event brought 1,000 startups, 36,000 attendees from more than 49 countries to Rimini and held B2B meetings with more than 300 investors from countries such as the UK, Israel, Germany, Sweden, France and Spain. Also this year, an entire pavilion - out of WMF's 10 - will host numerous events and initiatives for the world of innovative entrepreneurship from June 15 to 17, including the Startup Competition, Startup District, B2B meetings with investors from around the world, business matching and internships dedicated to startups and the world of innovative entrepreneurship.

WMF is collaborating with Pegasus Tech Ventures in the pursuit of these goals: the regional stage of the Startup World Cup is therefore among the events dedicated to the world of technology research promoted by We Make Future

The call Startup World Cup is currently closed.

Partner and Investors of the Startup Competition

Incubatore Campano
Volano
RE2N
NextUp
Le Village
Regione Lazio
Indaco
Italian Angels
Entrepreniston
Engineering
CrowdFundMe
Roma Startup
Angels for Women
Confindustria Emilia Centro
Qonto
Oplon
OVHcloud
Startup Wise Guys
A11-Venture
AgriFood-Tech Italia
MUG
SerenDPT
Tech-Up Accelerator
D-Group
BizPlace
Fool Farm
012 Factory
Exelab
Business Angels
PlugandPlay
BacktoWork
Grownnectia
Giordano Dell'Amore
Peekaboo
Dock3
Motor Valley
WyLAB
Gellify
Dynamo Lab
Fondazione REI
Bocconi for Innovation
Codemotion
StarBoost
Cariplo Factory
Nana Bianca
United Ventures
San Marino Innovation
ART-ER
Seedble
Almacube
LUISS ENLABS
H-Farm
The Hive
LVenture Group
IBAN
UniCredit Start Lab
I3P
Digital Magics
Fondazione Golinelli
Meta
Mediaset Infinity
G2 Startups
PoliHub
Open Seed
SeedUp
Growth Capital
RDS NEXT
HubSpot
ESA - European Space Agency
Gruppo Sapio
boostheroes
Digital Coach
Amazon AWS
Zanichelli Venture
Nuvolab
Prana Ventures
Guanxi
RDS 100% Grandi Successi
TIM

Some members of the Startup Competition jury

Daniele Alberti

Daniele Alberti

Serial entrepreneur - StarBoost 
Anna Amati

Anna Amati

Co-Founder & General Partner - EUREKA! Venture
Alessandro Asaro

Alessandro Asaro

Head of Communication and Digital Marketing - PoliHub
Kamen Bankovski

Kamen Bankovski

Founder of Vitosha Venture Partners
Daniele Beneduce

Daniele Beneduce

Deal Flow Manager - SeedUp
Pasquale Brancaccio

Pasquale Brancaccio

General Manager - Incubatore Campano
Massimo Canducci

Massimo Canducci

Chief Innovation Officer - Engineering
Rinaldo Canzi

Rinaldo Canzi

Investment Manager - Fondazione Social Venture GDA
Sebastian Caputo

Sebastian Caputo

Project Manager & CEO - 012Factory
Emanuele Caronia

Emanuele Caronia

Serial Entrepreneur & Investor - Exelab
Alberto Carrai

Alberto Carrai

Chief Internetional Business Developement - Able Tech
Fabio Carrera

Fabio Carrera

CEO - SerenDPT - H3
Michele Castorina

Michele Castorina

ESA
Vittorio Cavani

Vittorio Cavani

Partner and Board Member - NextUp
Massimo Ciaglia

Massimo Ciaglia

CEO - Grownnectia
Giorgio Ciron

Giorgio Ciron

Director - Innovup
Jonathan Clarke

Jonathan Clarke

Startup Program Leader - OVHcloud
Silvia Costantino

Silvia Costantino

Program Analyst & Operations - B4I Bocconi for Innovation
Andrea Dal Piaz

Andrea Dal Piaz

Manager - Dock3 - The Starup Lab
Lorenzo D'Amelio

Lorenzo D'Amelio

CEO - Merakyn | Startup Advisor
Federico Davini

Federico Davini

Partner e investment board - A11 Venture
Giovanni De Caro

Giovanni De Caro

Strategic and financial advisor - Volano Group
Francesco De Grazia

Francesco De Grazia

Service Manager - FoolFarm
Simone Demelas

Simone Demelas

Director - Founder Boost Italy
Gijs Den Hartog

Gijs Den Hartog

Partner at Capital Mills
Francesco Di Blasio

Francesco Di Blasio

Deal Flow Manager - BIZPLACE
Maria Laura Di Carlo

Maria Laura Di Carlo

Innovation and Start up Advisor - Le Village
Jacopo Drudi

Jacopo Drudi

Investment Manager - United Ventures
Selvaggia Fagioli

Selvaggia Fagioli

Business Angel - A4W
Lorenzo Ferrara

Lorenzo Ferrara

President & Coordinator - Business Angels Network "BAN Firenze"
Davide Filiaggi

Davide Filiaggi

Operations Manager Hubble Acceleration Program - Nana Bianca
Donata Folesani

Donata Folesani

Head of the Innovation Finance Unit - ART-ER
Dima Foremnyi

Dima Foremnyi

General Partner
3X Capital
Adam Formanek

Adam Formanek

Startup Coach & Program Manager at BHT Berlin
Eugenia Forte

Eugenia Forte

Senior Program Manager of Takeoff Accelerator - Takeoff Plugnplay
Francesco Fullone

Francesco Fullone

Director - Founder Institute Italy
Gianluca Galgano

Gianluca Galgano

EY Italy Head of Startup and Venture Capital - EY
Martin Garaj

Martin Garaj

VC Associate J&T Ventures
Dror Gill

Dror Gill

Founder & CEO of Gamdala
Michele Giordani

Michele Giordani

Managing Partner & Founder - Gellify
Roberto Giuliani

Roberto Giuliani

Incubator Manager - LazioInnova
Alberto Giusti

Alberto Giusti

Entrepreneur & Strategy Consultant - Guanxi
Petra Gordan

Petra Gordan

Managing Partner Impulse Ventures
Mariano Guzzetta

Mariano Guzzetta

Manager in Innovation e Open Innovation
EY
Pasquale Brancaccio

Pasquale Brancaccio

General Manager
Incubatore Campano
Itai Green

Itai Green

Founder & CEO Innovate Israel
Giorgio Guidi

Giorgio Guidi

Founder & CEO - The Hive CoWorking & Incubator
Antti Heikkilä

Antti Heikkilä

CEO of Acceler8 Venture Builder
Peter Helesic

Peter Helesic

Managing Partner Danube Angels
Piero Ingrosso

Piero Ingrosso

VP - AlmaVicoo | Head of Innovation and Communication - Legacoop Bologna
Francesco Inguscio

Francesco Inguscio

CEO & Rainmaker - Rainmakers
Peter Kruger

Peter Kruger

President - AgriFood Italia
Caragh Kennedy

Caragh Kennedy

Business Development Manager
Hubspot for Startups
Loris Lanzellotti

Loris Lanzellotti

CEO - Enrtrepreniston
Eric Larsen

Eric Larsen

Senior Deal Flow Manager - LVENTURE
Adriano La Vopa

Adriano La Vopa

Co-Founder - Ain't A Game
Michele Lia

Michele Lia

Portofolio Manager - B-heroes
Laura Loprieno

Laura Loprieno

CEO - Dynamo
Michele Lorubio

Michele Lorubio

Startup program specialist - Almacube
Ivan Maltsev

Ivan Maltsev

General Partner
3X Capital
Alex Marchesini

Alex Marchesini

CEO - Planet Smart City
Vanessa Mazzei

Vanessa Mazzei

Project Leader - G-Factor, Fondazione Golinelli
Massimiliano Montefusco

Massimiliano Montefusco

General Manager - RDS
Negar Mokkaram

Negar Mokkaram

Business Analyst & Startup Scouting - I3P
Adib Mouchanan

Adib Mouchanan

Partner Manager - HubSpot in Italia
Luiza Nowacka

Luiza Nowacka

CVC Investment Specialist at Alior Bank
Andrea Parmeggiani

Andrea Parmeggiani

Manager - Fondazione Rei , Tech Up Accelerator
Francesca Picasso

Francesca Picasso

Project Manager of Football Data Analyst course - Wylab
Adriana Piccitto

Adriana Piccitto

Associate - Indaco
Enrico Poli

Enrico Poli

Director - Zanichelli Venture
Valentina Primo

Valentina Primo

Founder & CEO at Startup Without Borders
Wyktoria Przybylska

Wyktoria Przybylska

Startup Advisor
Bill Reichert

Bill Reichert

Entrepreneur & Venture Capitalist, Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures
Sabrina Ricci

Sabrina Ricci

AI Ecosystem Manager Φ-lab - ESA
Enzo Rimedio

Enzo Rimedio

Digital PR Manager - Digital Coach
Gabriele Ronchini

Gabriele Ronchini

Founder & Managing Director - Digital Magics
Gilad Rosenzweig

Gilad Rosenzweig

Executive Director
MITdesignX
Luca Ruggeri

Luca Ruggeri

Advisor and head of the Open Innovation Club - Associazione Roma Startup
Vittoria San Pietro

Vittoria San Pietro

Head of Innovation Startup Mug- Emill Banca Credito Cooperativo
Leonardo Saroni

Leonardo Saroni

Operational Partner - Prana Ventures
Alessandro Sartorelli

Alessandro Sartorelli

Senior Innovation Consultant - H-Farm
Luca Schettino

Luca Schettino

Jr Venture Builder - PoliHub
Alessandra Scotti

Alessandra Scotti

Institutional Relations & Scouting Manager - Liftt
Tomasz Serwan

Tomasz Serwan

Head of RBL VC
Drazen Simicevic

Drazen Simicevic

CEE Sr Strategic Partnerships Manager
Federico Smanio

Federico Smanio

CEO - Wylab | Program Director - WeSportUp
Andrea Solimene

Andrea Solimene

CEO & CoFounder - Seedble
Giusy Stanziola

Giusy Stanziola

Vice President - Unicredit Start Lab | Founders* Club
Giovanni Strocchi

Giovanni Strocchi

Senior screening committee member - IAG
Camila Tellez

Camila Tellez

Operations Manager - Motor Valley Accelerator
Anna Testa

Anna Testa

Product Sales Specialist Digitalization Italy - CISCO
Emanuele Torlonia

Emanuele Torlonia

Managing Partner&Investor - Eden Venutres
Alberico Tremigliozzi

Alberico Tremigliozzi

Founder & CEO - Re2N
Carlo Tursi

Carlo Tursi

Independent advisor and angel investor, CEO - UrbanV
Francesca Valobra

Francesca Valobra

Sales & Business Developer - Back to Work
Douglas Wong

Douglas Wong

Founder of Blackfire
Petro Yanytsky

Petro Yanytsky

Sr Investment Analyst
3X Capital
Taras Yavorskyy

Taras Yavorskyy

General Partner
3X Capital
Enrico Zanotti

Enrico Zanotti

Director of the Scientific Technical Committee - San Marino Innovation
Danila Zammitti

Danila Zammitti

Open innovation program manager - Cariplo Factory
Lorenzo Zatini

Lorenzo Zatini

Ecosystem Marketing Manager - Qonto
Emanuele Zingale

Emanuele Zingale

Head of TIM open innovation program
Ilaria Navoni

Ilaria Navoni

Startup Program Manager Southern Europe
OVH
Martina Muggiri

Martina Muggiri

Startup Acceleration Program Manager
SOCIAL FARE
Claudia Del Monte

Claudia Del Monte

Investment Analyst
SOCIAL FARE
Michela Michilli

Michela Michilli

Head of ESA Bic Lazio & Technology TransferLazio Innova
Alessandro Zerbetto

Alessandro Zerbetto

Senior Analyst - Ecosystem Partnership & Open Innovation
FONDAZIONE LINKS
Luca Iaia

Luca Iaia

Premio Cambiamenti CNA
CNA
Francesco Cracolici

Francesco Cracolici

Venture Partner at EBRD & Crossfund, Ceo at Nomadic Minds
Cross Fund
Ivan Stoyka

Ivan Stoyka

Investment Analyst at 3X Capital

Watch the trailer for the final Startup Competition

Who participates in the WMF