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.

Some numbers from the ecosystem you will find at WMF:

• 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 17th, 18th, and 19th at BolognaFiere, and will be streamed worldwide.

The call is open: fill out the form and nominate your startup!

THE OPPORTUNITIES

From the Startup Competition call, the 6 finalist startups are selected to access the Final on the Mainstage to win the prize pool, and other startups instead access the Startup Stage, where they will present their pitch to the audience and representatives of major incubators and accelerators. In addition, other startups selected from the call have the opportunity to:

1. Present to an International and Expert Audience:
   Thanks to an international audience composed of investors, industry-leading companies, and participants from all over the world.

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

3. 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.

4. Gain Broad Visibility:
   The involved startups are in the spotlight of a vast audience and receive attention from media, influencers, and industry operators.

5. 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).

6. 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.

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

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

9. Access the Tecnopolo di Bologna and the Leonardo Supercomputer:
   with possible involvement in related activities.

Among the winners of previous editions are TOMMI, Friendz, PatchAI, FitPrime, Isaac, Yape, lightScience, FlowPay, Recornea, MyLeg, Golee, AerariumChain, Yalla, Cyrkl, Basetrack, Intuos, and the two projects that won the WMF2025 Startup Competition: Invigilo AI and Electra Vehicles.

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

THE PITCH

The elevator pitch is 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 (2025)

> Discovers the winning Startups from previous editions

The call is open: fill out the form to nominate your startup!