The Startup World Cup is an international competition organized by Venture Capital firm Pegasus Tech Ventures (known for funding successful startups such as SpaceX, Airbnb and Twitter), with the goal of connecting startup ecosystems worldwide. Promising startups have the opportunity to pitch their ideas and compete in various stages until the final round in Silicon Valley, where the winning company will receive an investment prize of 1 million US dollars.

The Luxembourg final will be held in Kirchberg on Thursday, 6 June 2024, and hosted by EY Luxembourg. The winner of the local pitching competition will represent Luxembourg at the next round in San Francisco, competing against more than 40 other candidates. The winning startup will also participate in a roadshow networking experience and get the chance to network with other entrepreneurs, investors and the larger startup ecosystem.

A collaborative selection committee, consisting of representatives from Luxinnovation, Startup Luxembourg, the Luxembourg-City Incubator, the House of Startups, the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology, Startups.lu, Technoport, the Luxembourg Business Angel Network and the University of Luxembourg Incubator and Entrepreneurship Programme, have selected the 10 most promising startups among the applicants:

• Äerd Lab - transforms housing sustainably, integrating material research, design, and technology. Specializing in 3D printing clay-based, self-drying bricks, reduce waste and boost energy efficiency
• ClimateCamp, a SaaS sustainability platform guiding organizations in uncovering and tracking their greenhouse gas emissions
• Emma technologies - Emma platform helps companies streamline and simplify the way companies interact with the variety of cloud platforms and infrastructures
• MDsim, a Software as Medical Device (SaMD), aimed at helping spine surgeons and medical device manufacturers
• Moniflo – gives direct access to retail investor to buy sustainable investments in a manner which is secure, fast and affordable
• StaysCo - corporate accommodation platform that connects relocation management companies & multinationals with housing providers worldwide
• Trace Crystal - develops and produces materials and software to endow physical items with unique, unclonable and untransferable artificial fingerprints, called CaeSaR tags, that allow reliable and trustworthy authentication of the items via a simple optical read-out
• Videobot – helps to increase website engagement and lead conversion by offering an engaging way to navigate website with a personalized video funnel.
• Wequity – platform which makes compliance and sustainability effortless
• Yuri Lux - pace biotech company that uses the microgravity environment of space to develop and manufacture superior biotech products.

To prepare for the final, the finalists will be invited by the House of Startups to attend a dedicated training session. On the day of the event, they will pitch to an independent jury composed of prestigious VCs and tech entrepreneurs:

• Alain Rodermann, Founding Partner, Expon Capital,  
• Kamel Amroune, CEO, The Dots
• Amélie Madinier, CEO, Le Village by CA
• Antoine Welter, Co-founder and CEO, Circu Li-ion, winner of last year’s Startup World Cup who made it into the top 10 best startups worldwide

During the event, which starts at 17:00, the 10 startups will pitch to the jury and the public. The winner will be announced and awarded that same evening, after deliberation.

More information on Startup World Cup | EY Luxembourg.