TechChill €1M--Flywheel $150K--Outside Ignite $100K

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

Author

Diane Bailey
January 19, 2026

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

~Diane

💪 The Biggies

TechChill Founders Battle | €1M

TechChill Founders Battle is TechChill’s annual pitch competition for early-stage startups. Put on your best shoes, wear the best hoodie and get ready to pitch your startup in front of international investors and stakeholders looking for the next unicorn!

Flywheel Investment Conference | $150K

Flywheel provides visibility, resources, and valuable connections for early-stage companies seeking funding. In addition to the $150,000+ investment offering, there is also a $50,000 relocation offer, a $5,000 cash prize, and more! ​

Outside Ignite | $100K

Outside Ignite brings together founders, investors, and business leaders for a dynamic startup pitch competition that showcases bold new ideas for outdoor companies and the entrepreneurs behind them.

Newly Added:

🔨 Challenge Opportunities

Next Seed Tech Challenge – Co-create and test pilot
FinTech; Data; Cybersecurity; AI | Jan 25 | Apply Here

Flywheel Investment Conference – $150,000 investment
Washington; All startups | Jan 31 | Apply Here

AI for Grid Resilience Challenge – $50,000 total pool
AI; Grid infrastructure; Energy; Cybersecurity | Feb 10 | Apply Here

Milken-Penn GSE Business Plan Competition – $40,000
EdTech; Workforce learning; AI | Feb 11 | Apply Here

Female Funding ‘26 – Access to investor matching event
Germany; Female-led | Feb 26 | Apply Here

Circular Economy Innovation Competition – $20,000
Circular economy; Supply chain | Feb 27 | Apply Here

2026 PILOT Innovation Challenge – Be a panelist at NAB Show
Media; Broadcast Entertainment | Feb 27 | Apply Here

💰 Grant Opportunities

Skip’s $10,000 2026 Kickoff Grants – $10,000
US; All businesses | Jan 31 | Apply Here

🎤 Pitch Competitions

TechChill Founders Battle – €1,000,000 total pool
Baltics; Nordics; CEE; All startups | Feb 1 | Apply Here

Idea Funding 2026 – $50,000 in services
Arizona; All startups | Feb 1 | Apply Here

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

BlueInvest Africa Pitch Competition – Pitch at BlueInvest Africa
Africa; Blue economy; Maritime | Feb 13 | Apply Here

Space Symposium Pitch Competition 2026 – Tickets to Space Symposium
SpaceTech; Dual-Use Tech; MilTech | Feb 15 | Apply Here

Start Global Pitch Competition – 10,000 CHF or Recognition
Switzerland; Deep Tech; Sustainability; AI | Feb 27 | Apply Here

Shark Tank Open Call Southern California – Pitch to appear on Shark Tank show
All startups | Mar 12 | Apply Here

🏆 Award Opportunities

AfricaTech Award – Recognition and pitch at VivaTech
Africa; All startups | Feb 16 | Apply Here

Global Sustainability Awards Atlanta – Recognition
US-based; UNSDGs | Mar 31 | Apply Here

💼 Events

TechChill – Riga – 2,300+ attendees
All startups | Mar 25–27 | Apply Here

NAB Show – Las Vegas – 50,000+ attendees
Media; Entertainment; XR; Streaming | Apr 18–22 | Apply Here

Sustainability Live: The US Summit 2026 – Chicago – 1,000+ attendees; workshops
Sustainability; Decarb; AI | Apr 21–22 | Apply Here

Google Cloud Next – Las Vegas – Demos; Workshops; Breakouts
AI; Cloud | Apr 22–24 | Apply Here

Closing Soon! Last Chance!

🎤 Pitch Competitions

PropTech Startup Showdown @ SXSW by Realtor.com – $5,000 + Investor Meeting
PropTech; FinTech; AI | Jan 23 | Apply Here

Benefits Shark Tank – $50,000
Canada; Healthcare; Employee Benefits; HR Tech | Jan 23 | Apply Here

💰 Grant Opportunities

Zensurance Grant 2026 – $25,000
Canada; All startups | Jan 19 | Apply Here

Launch LNK Grant – $20,000
Nebraska; All startups | Jan 20 | Apply Here

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Climate and Health Seed Grants – $50,000
Biomedical; Public Health; Urban Planning; Healthcare; Climate | Jan 22 | Apply Here

Bioindustries Funding Call 2026 – R300,000
South Africa; BioTech | Jan 23 | Apply Here

🔨 Challenge Opportunities

NJ AI Innovation Challenge – $3.3M total pool
New Jersey; AI; Social Impact | Jan 19 | Apply Here

Amarillo EnterPrize Challenge – $100,000
Texas; All businesses | Jan 23 | Apply Here

StartUp Humboldt Competition – $200,000
California; All tech | Jan 25 | Apply Here

Next Seed Tech Challenge – Co-create and test pilot
FinTech; Data; Cybersecurity; AI | Jan 25 | Apply Here

🏆 Award Opportunities

Globee Awards for Disruptors – Recognition
Innovative Tech | Jan 21 | Apply Here

The FinTech Awards – Recognition
FinTech | Jan 23 | 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.