From Bengaluru
to San Francisco.
15 early-stage ventures pitch live to active institutional VCs. The top 3 secure their pathway to San Francisco for the $1,000,000 Startup World Cup investment prize.
The direct roadmap from early submission to the global stage.
Every founder building tech or non-tech in Bengaluru can submit, from seed and pre-revenue to scaling ARR.
Submit traction metrics, defensibility, and pitch video. Deck optional.
The selection committee screens for defensible moats, unit economics, market size, and execution speed.
Scored on a standardized 100-point venture scorecard. 15 cohort finalists advance.
15 founders pitch live to institutional GPs, angel syndicates, and a room of 200+ active ecosystem operators.
24 October 2026 in Bengaluru. Pitch heats, jury Q&A on the numbers, and deal flow in the room.
The jury selects the top three ventures to represent Bengaluru in Silicon Valley. Flights and stays remain the team's own cost; SPL provides winner recommendation letters for visa interviews.
Top 10 ranked teams get fast-track qualification for the 2027 season.*
Pitch alongside 50+ international champions at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale, hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures in Silicon Valley.
Compete for a $1,000,000 global investment prize in front of tier-one US venture capital firms.
Official regional partner for Pegasus Tech Ventures and Startup World Cup.
Scroll to open. Scroll back to close. A design preview, not an issued ticket.
Selected startups: ₹4,999 showcase pass to pitch on stage. Tickets grant full-day access to SPL Season 1 on 24 October 2026. Venue announcement and door timings* sent directly to registered pass holders.
Discover 15 pre-vetted Bengaluru startups pitching live across tech and non-tech sectors, and scout the teams heading to the global stage.
Curated deal flow and investor briefing. Investment discussions remain independent between funds and startups.
Pre-screened Bengaluru startups across consumer brands, AI, D2C, B2B SaaS, manufacturing, fintech, and deeptech. An executive briefing memo delivered directly to participating funds.
Watch founders defend their unit economics and go-to-market assumptions under live jury questioning.
Meet founding teams in dedicated investor networking windows, with opt-in introductions after the event.
Support and mentor the top three teams advancing from Bengaluru to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in Silicon Valley.
Register for VC Access →Founders, early operators, investors and ecosystem partners gather under one roof on 24 October 2026. Explore your role below:
Pitch live on stage to active VCs and compete for the $1,000,000 prize.
Apply Now →Watch 15 real pitches, deconstruct live diligence and connect with builders.
Claim Pass (₹999) →Scout pre-vetted deal flow and evaluate India's top 15 teams.
VC Registration →Demo tools, showcase infrastructure and back the Silicon Valley pathway.
Partner Track →Review the standardized 100-point rubric and evaluation flow.
Judging Rubric →Every startup on stage is evaluated against a rigorous 100-point venture framework adapted from institutional diligence. Open to all ambitious tech and non-tech ventures.
Acute customer pain, defensible market sizing and why-now urgency.
Working product, tangible prototype, or operational craft with a clear defensible moat.
Verified revenue, active pilot contracts, customer loyalty, or repeat order metrics.
Sustainable margin profile, pricing power, and scalable acquisition economics.
Founder-market fit, domain competence, operational grit, and resilience.
Brand equity, intellectual property, supply chain/distribution access, or network barriers.
Clear use of funds, runway planning, and next-stage milestone targets.
Precise answers, intellectual honesty, and command of the numbers.
Judges evaluate each criterion on a 1-5 scale; scores are normalized into an unweighted final composite out of 100.
Judges recuse themselves from scoring any startup where prior investments, advisory roles or active diligence exist.
In the event of a tied score, traction and retention leads, followed by team execution and jury chair consensus.
An independent panel of active institutional VCs, prominent angels and experienced operators. Confirmed appointments are published as rounds finalize.*
Confirmed jury members, committee chair and conflict recusal disclosures will be detailed here ahead of pitch day.
Experienced investors and operators can express interest in serving on the evaluation committee.
Judging Track Details →The premier global competition partnering with SPL to advance the top 3 Bengaluru teams to San Francisco for the $1,000,000 USD investment prize.
Visit startupworldcup.io ↗Silicon Valley-based global venture capital firm backing transformative companies and organizing the Startup World Cup worldwide.
Visit pegasustechventures.com ↗
Enterprise platforms for hiring and talent sourcing, supporting the startup recruitment track and team scaling.
Partner Profile →Title, silver / track, showcase, branding, and community categories for organizations powering Bengaluru startups.
Explore Every Category →
Recruitment, HR & Tech Leader
Founder of mypathfinder and co-founder of fiesTA. Scaled talent and recruitment at Hubilo, Whatfix, and Pipemonk.
LinkedIn ↗We connect the top startups of Bengaluru to our mentors, and they work together on hiring, product, distribution and pitch craft until pitch day. If you have built and scaled, there is a seat for you.
Join the mentor panel →A full single-day summit in Bengaluru from morning to evening. In-person venue announcement* and transport details sent to pass holders.
A curated room of shortlisted founders, active investors, operators and builders from across Bengaluru.
A high-production stage built for sharp 5-minute pitches, technical product demos and intense jury Q&A.
Here is how 24 October runs, from morning check-in to the winner announcement.
All sessions run at the Season 1 Bengaluru venue.* Timings are indicative while finalists are confirmed; the final running order goes to registered pass holders first.
Registration open, morning coffee and a walk through the showcase floor.
Welcome to SPL Season 1 and the road to San Francisco.
First block of finalist pitches, each followed by rapid-fire jury Q&A.
Networking, product demos and conversations across the showcase floor.
Second block of finalist pitches and jury diligence.
The jury reveals the top 3 teams heading to the USA.
If your company equips early-stage startups with cloud infrastructure, developer tooling, payments, legal, HR tech or banking, SPL puts your leadership directly in the room with high-growth decision-makers.
Category exclusivity available for confirmed headline partners.
Custom deliverable packages including stage presence, booth placement and branding. Discuss custom allocations directly with the team.
Discuss This Partnership →Custom deliverable packages including stage presence, booth placement and branding. Discuss custom allocations directly with the team.
Discuss This Partnership →Custom deliverable packages including stage presence, booth placement and branding. Discuss custom allocations directly with the team.
Discuss This Partnership →Custom deliverable packages including stage presence, booth placement and branding. Discuss custom allocations directly with the team.
Discuss This Partnership →Startups, developer platforms and infrastructure tools can secure dedicated demo stations to showcase products, onboard users and meet founders and investors throughout the day.
Limited demo booth spaces allocated on review.
HostRecruitment, HR & Tech Leader
Founder of mypathfinder and co-founder of fiesTA. Scaled talent and recruitment at Hubilo, Whatfix, and Pipemonk.
LinkedIn ↗
HostProduction GenAI Architect
Builds RAG, agentic AI, and MCP systems. AI speaker, community organizer, hackathon judge, and mentor.
LinkedIn ↗
HostCo-founder & CTO, SourcingXPress
Startup World Cup ambassador and regional partner. Builds software platforms for hiring.
LinkedIn ↗
Creative directorCreative Director & Developer
SPL creative director. Builds AI and backend tools in Python and Java. Founding member of Scientific Bharat.
LinkedIn ↗
Creative directorCreative Director & Developer, SourcingXPress
SPL creative director and open-source contributor. Former technology apprentice at Morgan Stanley.
LinkedIn ↗Round 1 online screening is open at zero cost to founders. Evaluation slots are strictly capped for the 15-startup live stage.
No. Anyone can register for a General Attendee ticket (₹999) to watch the live pitches, learn from jury evaluations, and network. Submitting a pitch application simply unlocks the discounted ₹799 rate.
If selected among the 15 stage finalists, startups unlock the ₹4,999 Showcase Pass. This includes the live pitch slot, venue demo space, and full inclusion in the VC deal-flow memo.
Finalists receive a dedicated live presentation block followed immediately by interactive jury Q&A. Exact minute allocations are briefed to shortlisted teams.
An independent panel of active institutional VCs, prominent angel investors, and experienced operators. The top three startups advance directly to the USA.
Yes. Audience members participate in open founder Q&A, live jury teardowns, ecosystem discussions, and dedicated networking blocks.
24 October 2026 in Bengaluru. Doors open in the morning for a full day of pitches, showcase demos, and networking. Exact venue details are sent directly to registered pass holders.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-cancellable, but transferrable upon request to the organizing team.
Yes, main stage pitches and presentations will be recorded and shared. If you prefer not to appear in attendee crowd photos, you can notify the event check-in desk on arrival.
