Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.
Big shout-out to everyone who views and clicks the links - this newsletter is in the top 10% for click-through-rate of ALL beehiiv newsletters (out of 75,000 active newsletters)! Let me know how I can continue to curate the best funding opps for your startup. Remember - you can always forward this email to another founder!
~Diane
💪 The Biggies
.png)
Custom Weekly Emails: Want me to send you a custom weekly email plus get access to the full list of open opportunities? Just $9/mo Get started here.
Newly Added:
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Aberdeen Business Pitch Competition – $10,000
South Dakota | Apr 30 | Apply Here
Pitch Elk Grove 2026 – $10,000
California | Jun 8 | Apply Here
LaunchHER Lab Pitch Competition – $40,000 in services
Women-led | Jun 15 | Apply Here
MedTech World Asia Startup Pitch – Recognition + PR package
MedTech | July 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
💰 Grants
Innovate ND Grant – $50,000
North Dakota | May 14 | Apply Here
American Express Canada Grant – $10,000 CAD
Canada; Community-focused | May 19 | Apply Here
D-Prize – $20,000
Social impact; poverty; Gov Tech; AgTech | Jun 7 | Apply Here
Enthuse Foundation Capital and Catalyst Grant – $40,000
Women-led: Food & Bev | July 28 | Apply Here
DIV Fund RFP – $500,000
Social impact | Aug 1 (Rolling Apps) | Apply Here
💼 Events
Walmart Canada Growth Summit - Mississauga – Connect with Walmart Merchandising
Canada; CPG | May 7 | Apply Here
Creator Economy Live - NYC – Connect with Brands
Creator Economy; Influencer | July 29 | Apply Here
🚀 Accelerators
a16z speedrun SR007 – $1,000,000 investment
All startups | May 17 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
Shaping Canada’s Longevity Advantage Challenge – Connect with investors and policymakers
Canada; Age Tech; Longevity; AI; FinTech | Jun 4 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
Unlock Her Future Prize – $100,000
Asia; Women-led; Social impact | Apr 30 | Apply Here
European Startup Prize for Mobility – Recognition + intro to VC’s
Europe; Sustainable Mobility; Carbon | Jun 13 | Apply Here
Novonesis Biotechnology Prize – DKK 5,000,000
Europe; BioTech; Biomanufacturing | Aug 1 | Apply Here
Closing Soon! Last Chance!
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Africa’s Business Heroes 2026 – $300,000
Africa; Impact-focused | Apr 28 | Apply Here
2026 Startup Global National Pitch Competition – $30,000
Canada; All startups | Apr 29 | Apply Here
Aberdeen Business Pitch Competition – $10,000
South Dakota | Apr 30 | Apply Here
BevNET New Beverage Showdown – $10,000 in advertising
Consumer brands; Food & Bev | May 1 | Apply Here
💰 Grants
O’Shaughnessy Fellowships and Grants – $100,000
Everyone | Apr 30 | Apply Here
Hey Helen Grant – $10,000
Women-led | Apr 30 | Apply Here
💼 Events
Early-Stage Venture Summit – Connect with investors
All startups | Apr 27 | Apply Here
Bitcoin 2026 - Las Vegas – 40,000+ attendees
Bitcoin; Crypto | Apr 27-29 | Apply Here
Startup Grind Conference - Silicon Valley – 5,000+ attendees
All startups | Apr 27-29 | Apply Here
SusHi Tech - Tokyo – 60,000+ attendees
Sustainable cities; Robotics; Entertainment | Apr 27-29 | Apply Here
XR Expo - Stuttgart – 1,500 attendees
XR; B2B | Apr 28-29 | Apply Here
StrictlyVC - San Francisco – Meet investors
All startups | Apr 30 | Apply Here
SelectUSA Investment Summit - Maryland – 5,000+ attendees
Foreign expansion | May 3-6 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
Urban Future Prize Competition – $50,000
Climate Tech; Robotics | Apr 27 | Apply Here
Gates Foundations AI to Accelerate Charitable Giving – $150,000
AI; Narrative tools | Apr 28 | Apply Here
World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Challenge – $100,000
Crisis response; Supply Chain; Social impact | Apr 30 (rolling apps) | Apply Here
BEYOND 2026 - Call for Speakers – Speak at Conference
Europe; Middle East | Apr 30 (my guess) | Apply Here
Echelon Singapore - Call for Speakers – Speak at Conference
APAC; AI | Apr 30 (my guess) | Apply Here
Beyond the Meter: Energy Storage Integration Prize – $350,000
Energy Storage; Grid technology | Apr 30 | Apply Here
GATE 5.0 AgriTech Matchmaking – €118,500 + Joint project
Europe; AgTech; Sustainability | Apr 30 | Apply Here
DARPA Lift Challenge – $2,500,000
Drones; UAS | May 1 | Apply Here
100 Innovations Shaping the Future – €15,000
All startups | May 1 | Apply Here
GitHub Universe - Call for Speakers – Speak at conference
Devs | May 1 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award – $150,000
Renewables; Clean water | Apr 30 | Apply Here
New Mexico Quantum Technologies Award – $200,000
New Mexico: Quantum | Apr 30 | Apply Here
Out of the Lab Award – €50,000
Bio-inspired | Apr 30 | Apply Here
Unlock Her Future Prize – $100,000
Asia; Women-led; Social impact | Apr 30 | Apply Here
World Food Prize Award – $500,000
Food security | May 1 | Apply Here
Beyond the Deal Room curates grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits for 13,000+ founders, VC’s and startup organizations. Over $100M global opportunities, mostly non-dilutive, are available across all verticals each year.
For Startup Organizations: Bring this list to your newsletter and community groups for FREE. Reply to this email for details.
Disclaimer: I receive no compensation for promoting any of these events. While I try to be as accurate as possible when posting requirements such as deadlines, it’s your responsibility to confirm all requirements.
📣 Who am I? Your biggest cheerleader. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
