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

Thanks to everyone who indicated their interest in the pitch-to-investor newsletter. I’m pulling together info and sending out soon.

~Diane

Zenith Bank Zecathon 6.0 – ₦90 million total pool
Africa; EdTech; Cyber; FinTech; more | Oct 13 | Apply

HealthTech Investor Summit Pitching Selections – Pitch at event
Europe; Health Tech | Oct 15 | Apply

NBA All-Star Pitch Competition – $200,000 in prizes
Arizona; Sports Tech; Hospitality; AI | Oct 23 | Apply

AI Ethics Startup Pitch Session 2026 – Pitch at conference
AI | Oct 31 | Apply

GenScript NVIDIA Life Sciences PitchFest – Credits; Pitch at Event
AI; Life Sciences | Nov 30 | Apply

SiGMA Africa Pitch – €400,000 in services
iGaming; eSports; AI; FinTech; Blockchain | Jan 6 | Apply

Idea Leap Grant Competition – $50,000
Tennessee; Georgia; All businesses | Oct 26 | Apply

WomanKind Creative Grant – $15,000 in branding services
Women’s Health; FemTech | Nov 1 | Apply

Government First – ₹25 lakh
India; Government | Oct 23 | Apply

Tools Competition – $300,000
EdTech; Data Sets | Oct 13 | Apply

Avinya ‘27 Energy Startup Challenge – INR 6 lakh total pool
India; Energy Tech | Oct 15 | Apply

TRANSPOSE Innovation Challenge 2026 – JPY 2M investment
Music Tech; Game Tech | Oct 31 | Apply

5th Ocean Innovation Challenge – $100,000
Blue Economy; Pollution Reduction | Nov 15 | Apply

Global Startup Awards – Recognition
All startups | Oct 31 | Apply

🤩 View the full list of 100+ open opportunities - including all Last Chance Opportunities - by signing up here.

MedTech Innovator Vantage Funding Program – $200,000
Medical Devices; Diagnostics | Oct 15 | Apply

NatWest Accelerator Pitch – £100,000 total pool
UK | Oct 16 | Apply

Nosh Pitch Slam 2026 – $10,000 in advertising + tickets to Nosh
CPG; Food & Bev | Oct 16 | Apply

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. Startup operator, accelerator operations leader, and advisor to early-stage founders. Named a Top 100 Women Tech Leader (2024). I help founders tap into non-dilutive funding—grants, competitions, and beyond—to build traction between VC rounds. Connect with me on LinkedIn.