Tech Nation £500K--Red Bull $100K--FoodTech Awards

The newest startup grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits for you

Author

Diane Bailey
February 02, 2026

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

~Diane

💪 The Biggies

OneToWin | Tech Nation | £500K

OneToWin is a gateway to national recognition and visibility for the UK’s most promising pre-Series A founders. At the end of the showcase, at least one company will be awarded a £500,000 EIS investment opportunity live on stage, alongside unparalleled exposure to investors, corporates, and senior ecosystem leaders shaping the future of UK tech.

Red Bull Basement 2026 | $100K

Red Bull partners with Microsoft & AMD to equip you with AI tools, mentorship, and a global stage to transform bold ideas into real solutions. Three U.S. ideas will be selected for MVP development and pitch in Silicon Valley for a chance to win the World Final grand prize of $100K and more.

Food 4 Future | ExpoFoodTech Innovation Awards

Foodtech Innovations Awards recognizes the most innovative proposals that offer a disruptive approach to Customer Experience or Management. Innovative business models or technology that can make a change in the food sector.

Newly Added:

🎤 Pitch Competitions

Startup Battle $100,000 Pitch Competition – $100,000 total pool
Virgin Islands | Feb 12 | Apply Here

South Summit Pitch Competition – Pitch at South Summit Madrid
All startups | Feb 14 | Apply Here

Michigan 2026 Pitch Competition – $10,000
Michigan; All Businesses | Feb 27 | Apply Here

Tech Nation OneToWin – £500,000 investment
UK; Seed-stage | Mar 22 | Apply Here

Tech Nation NextWave – £335,000 investment
UK; SaaS | Mar 22 | Apply Here

Red Bull Basement 2026 – $100,000
Idea stage; AI | Mar 26 | Apply Here

WiT Global Startup Pitch – Pitch + present at Phocuswright Europe
Travel Tech; Hospitality; Tourism | Apr 15 | Apply Here

💰 Grants

Innovate ND Grant – $50,000
North Dakota; All startups | Feb 26 | Apply Here

🔨 Challenges

NSS Martine Rothblatt Space Settlement Competition – $16,000
Space Tech | Feb 15 | Apply Here

Commercial UAV – Call for Speakers – Speak at Commercial UAV Expo
Drones | Feb 20 | Apply Here

UPS Small Biz Challenge – $25,000
All Businesses | Feb 27 | Apply Here

European Defence Fund – Call for Proposals – €60,000
EU; Norway, Ukraine; Defense Tech; AI; Health Tech | Mar 25 | Apply Here

🏆 Awards

Business of Beauty Global Awards 2026 – Attend Global Forum; Present to panel
CPG; Consumer Brand | Mar 27 | Apply Here

Foodtech Innovation Awards 2026 – Recognition at and tickets to Expo Foodtech
Food Tech; Sustainability; Food & Bev; Automations | Apr 6 | Apply Here

Fast Company Innovation by Design Award – Feature in Fast Company magazine
Lots of categories | Apr 10 | Apply Here

Closing Soon! Last Chance!

🎤 Pitch Competitions

Outside Ignite Pitch Competition – $100,000 prize package
Outdoor industries; Wellness | Feb 4 | Apply Here

Additive Manufacturing AM Pitchfest – Pitch at RAPID+TCT event + booth
Additive Manufacturing; 3D printing | Feb 6 | Apply Here

Naturally Rising Pitch Competition – Prize package
Colorado; Consumer Brands; Natural Products; Sustainable Food & Bev | Feb 6 | Apply Here

EU-Startups Summit Pitch Competition – €750,000 total prize package
Early-stage; All tech | Feb 8 | Apply Here

💰 Grants

Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards – £75,000
UK; Women-led; later startup stage | Feb 4 | Apply Here

💼 Events

Augmented World Expo Asia – 2,000+ attendees
XR | Feb 2–4 | Apply Here

MD&M West – 13,000+ attendees
All Manufacturing; MedTech; Automation; Plastics | Feb 3–5 | Apply Here

IoT Tech Expo – 8,000+ attendees
IoT; Security; Data & Analytics | Feb 4–5 | Apply Here

SUMMIT – 30,000+ attendees
All Tech | Feb 4–7 | Apply Here

Digital Assets Forum – 2,000+ attendees
Digital currency; Crypto; FinTech | Feb 5–6 | Apply Here

Manifest by DHL – 7,200+ attendees
Supply Chain; Logistics | Feb 9–11 | Apply Here

🔨 Challenges

AGRO-WELL Smart Farming Open Call – €37,500
Europe; AgTech | Feb 4 | Apply Here

NIH Start an SUD Startup Challenge – $10,000 + Biomed product dev
Early stage; BioTech; MedTech | Feb 4 | Apply Here

🏆 Awards

VivaTech Female Founder Award – Pitch at VivaTech Global Awards + Event Pass
Female-Led; Environmental and Social Impact | Feb 2 | Apply Here

eMobility Innovation Awards 2026 – Recognition; Award Ceremony at eMobility Expo World Congress
Sustainable mobility; Green Tech | Feb 8 | 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.