JumpStarter $5M--Digital Payments €50K--Alexandria Procter R10M

The newest grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits you need to know about

Author

Diane Bailey
October 13, 2025

Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.

~Diane

💪 The Biggies

JUMPSTARTER 2026 Global Pitch Competition | up to $5M investment

We are looking for ventures leveraging AI to boost productivity and innovate across diverse sectors. These companies must demonstrate a measurable, long-term positive impact on their industry and communities, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NGI TALER Digital Payments - €50K

We invite your contributions to help reshape the state of play of digital payment systems, and to help create an open, trustworthy and reliable internet for all.

Pharos Fund — Alexandria Procter - R10M

African founders have the chance to secure part of R25m in early-stage funding, with applications now open for exclusive pitch sessions taking place in Cape Town this November.

Newly Added:

🎤 Pitch Competitions

Alexandria Procter Pitch for Investment – R10,000,000 investment
Africa; All tech; SDG’s | Oct 17 | Apply Here

JumpStarter for One Earth Pitch Competition – up to $5,000,000 investment
AI; SDG’s; Sustainability | Oct 31 | Apply Here

Alma Ascent $100K Pitch Competition – $60,000
Immigrant Founders | Nov 6 | Apply Here

SusHi Tech Challenge Pitch Contest – ¥10,000,000
Sustainability; Smart cities | Dec 31 | Apply Here

💰 Grants

Imminent Language Technology Innovators Grant – $20,000
LLM; Language data; R&D | Oct 15 | Apply Here

International Orthodontics Foundation Innovation Grants – $30,000
Orthodontics; R&D | Oct 31 | Apply Here

NGI TALER Privacy-Preserving Digital Payments – €50,000
Payments; FinTech; NextGen Internet | Dec 1 | Apply Here

Nebraska Prototype Grant – $150,000
Nebraska; New products | Dec 31 | Apply Here

🔨 Challenges

Indovinya Open Innovation Challenge – Co-develop with Indovinya
Sustainable beauty; Data models | Oct 26 | Apply Here

Cross Border Jobs Startup Competition – $10,000
Africa; Future of Work; HR Tech; Worker Mobility | Oct 31 | Apply Here

Kumo CORSIA RFP – $2,000,000 matching funds
Carbon removal | Oct 31 | Apply Here

🏆 Awards

Start Up Energy Transition Award 2026 – €10 000
Climate Tech; Sustainable Energy; Construction; Mobility | Oct 31 | Apply Here

💼 Events

NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show – NYC – 5,000+ brands
Retail Tech; AI | Jan 11–13 | Learn More

Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) – Orlando – 450+ Exhibitors; 200+ Workshops
EdTech | Jan 11–14 | Learn More

Closing Soon! Last Chance!

🎤 Pitch Competitions

Plan B Network CypherTank Pitch Competition – Up to $450,000 investment
Bitcoin | Oct 15 | Apply Here

Brewbound Live Pitch Slam – $35,000 in services
Food & Bev | Oct 15 | Apply Here

Alexandria Procter Pitch for Investment – R10,000,000 investment
Africa; All tech; SDG’s | Oct 17 | Apply Here

💰 Grants

F5 Collective Grant – $10,000
Women-led; Consumer brand; Consumer tech | Oct 15 | Apply Here

Imminent Language Technology Innovators Grant – $20,000
LLM; Language data; R&D | Oct 15 | Apply Here

🔨 Challenges

Luxury Retail Challenge – CHF 50,000
Smart Experiences; Retail; AR/VR; Wearables | Oct 13 | Apply Here

🏆 Awards

CMA CGM Startup Awards – €200K for Pilot
Shipping; Logistics; Robotics | Oct 15 | Apply Here

15 Percent Pledge Achievement Award – $250,000 total pool
Black-led; E-comm | Oct 16 | Apply Here

💼 Events

SaaStock – Dublin – 4,500+ attendees
AI; SaaS | Oct 14–15 | Learn More

Empack Madrid – Madrid – 11,000+ attendees
Packaging; CPG | Oct 15–16 | Learn More

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 6,000+ 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.

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