Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.
From TechCrunch Disrupt, How to make your startup stand out in a crowded market, according to investors
~Diane
💪 The Biggies
Newly Added:
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Benefits Shark Tank – $50,000
Canada; Healthcare; Employee Benefits; HR Tech | Jan 23 | Apply Here
Tacoma Rising Pitch Competition – $10,000
Washington; Early-stage | Jan 31 | Apply Here
💰 Grants
Launch LNK Grant – $20,000
Nebraska; All startups | Jan 20 | Apply Here
Visa Grant Program – $10,000
Canada; Women-led | Feb 1 | Apply Here
Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards – £75,000
UK; Women-led; later startup stage | Feb 4 | Apply Here
💼 Events
Augmented World Expo Asia - Singapore – 2,000+ attendees
XR | Feb 2–4 | Apply Here
Founders 2.0 Conference - Las Vegas – 300+ industry leaders; 50+ speakers
All startups | Apr 7–9 | Apply Here
MODEX - Atlanta – 50,000+ attendees; 1,000+ exhibits
Supply Chain; Manufacturing | Apr 13–16 | Apply Here
LEAP 2026 - Riyadh – 1,900+ investors; Call for Speakers
All startups | Apr 13–16 | Apply Here
Blockchain Forum 2026 - Moscow – 20,000+ attendees; Call for Speakers
Blockchain; Crypto; Web3 | Apr 14–15 | Apply Here
Paris Blockchain Week 2026 - Paris – 10,000+ attendees
Blockchain; Digital Assets; DeFi | Apr 15–16 | Apply Here
Energy Tech Summit - Bilbao – 1,500+ attendees
Energy; AI; Climate Tech | Apr 15–16 | Apply Here
MOM 2.0 Summit - Austin – Workshops; industry content leaders
Parent Tech; Influencers; Creator Economy | Apr 16–18 | Apply Here
Curbivore - Los Angeles – 1,000+ attendees
Last Mile; Food & Bev; New Mobility; Restaurant Tech | Apr 16–17 | Apply Here
Closing Soon! Last Chance!
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Compute Summit Challengers 2026 – Pitch at Compute Summit 2026
Compute; Energy infrastructure; Sustainability | Jan 12 | Apply Here
South Summit Madrid Startup Competition – Pitch to 2,000+ investor network
All startups; disruptive | Jan 15 | Apply Here
AngelCon 2026 – $100,000 investment
California; All tech | Jan 16 | Apply Here
Indigenous Venture Challenge – $50,000 investment
Canada; Indigenous-led founders | Jan 16 (my guess) | Apply Here
Albertsons Innovation Launchpad Competition – $400,000
Food & Bev; CPG; Pet products; DTC | Jan 18 | Apply Here
🚀 Accelerators
Halcyon Global Climate Fellowship – $16,000 + Paid residency in Washington DC and Los Angeles
Climate Tech; Renewables; WaterTech; Blue economy | Jan 15 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
Global Food Tech Awards – Pitch + VIP Pass to Global to Future Food-Tech
FoodTech; Food & Bev; Supply Chain; AI; Packaging; CPG | Jan 12 | Apply Here
2026 Top 25 Women of Influence – Recognition
Canada; Female-Led | Jan 16 | Apply Here
💼 Events
Biotech Showcase - San Francisco – 3,200+ attendees
BioTech | Jan 12–14 | Apply Here
Creator Economy Live - Las Vegas – 500+ Brands
Influencer marketing; Consumer brands; Affiliate marketing | Jan 13–14 | Apply Here
One Hour Pitch Deck: Bootstrapped founder-friendly services to get you a big step forward in your journey. Deck upgrades, grant content, or get the same due diligence reports VC’s use when screening your deck. Book a 15-min clarity call at onehourpitchdeck.com to learn more about positioning your startup for funding.
🚪 Beyond the Deal Room curates grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits for 13,000+ founders, VC’s and startup organizations. Over $60M global opportunities, mostly non-dilutive, are available across all verticals each year.
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.
