Global startup competition brings together 200+ regional champions from around the world for its Grand Finale in San Francisco

Startup World Cup, a global startup pitch competition organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, awarded its $1 million investment prize to ZymoChem at the 2026 Grand Finale on Friday, November 6, at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. Selected from a field of startups competing across more than 200 regional competitions worldwide, ZymoChem impressed a panel of venture capital investors and industry leaders with bringing sustainability, and supply chain resiliency to the chemical industry through innovative biomanufacturing.

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Startup World Cup 2026 Awards $1 Million Grand Prize to ZymoChem

The three-day Grand Finale held November 4–6, brought together entrepreneurs, venture capital investors, corporate executives, technology leaders, and industry experts from around the world. More than 200 regional champions representing over 60 countries across six continents competed for a place among the Top 10 finalists and the opportunity to secure the $1 million investment prize.

LainTech, representing Spain, took second place, while Kauche Inc representing Tokyo, finished third.

Startup World Cup 2026 Finalists

• ZymoChem (East Bay, USA) - Winner of $1 million investment prize
  • ZymoChem is a specialty chemicals company dedicated to bringing sustainability, and supply chain resiliency to the chemical industry through innovative biomanufacturing.
• ProcurePro (Queensland, Australia)
  • They are a procurement platform for General Contractors, and turning every buying decision into AI that knows what construction costs.
• Kauche Inc (Tokyo, Japan)
  • KAUCHE is a gamified commerce platform that makes everyday shopping fun through product discovery, while building a new ecosystem that goes beyond shopping.
• Yo-Kai Express (Kaohsiung, Taiwan)
  • Yo-Kai Express is building the autonomous infrastructure platform for the global food and beverage industry, deploying 24/7 robotic hot-food and boba-tea systems that eliminate store labor while delivering fresh, restaurant-quality meals.
• BioSapien (Silicon Valley, USA)
  • Biosapien is a late-stage pre-clinical company focused on novel drug delivery platform.
• Crednce (Accra, Ghana)
  • Crednce is building the trust infrastructure for cross-border transactions in Africa, securing payments, verifying proof of delivery, and releasing funds as agreed milestones are completed.
• Monet (Bogota, Colombia)
  • Monet is Latin America's open-finance ecosystem. Credit came first: USD 100M across 3.7M loans in Colombia, a dignified alternative to loan sharks. Next stop, the region.
• Belli (Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
  • Belli builds AI operating systems for airlines (cargo).
• LainTech (Madrid, Spain)
  • Innovation and industrial implementation of cutting-edge technologies in the energy and raw materials sector.
• Enexor Energy (Malibu, USA)
  • Enexor develops renewable energy and carbon conversion solutions to help solve the world's organic and plastic waste problem.

Startup World Cup 2026 brought together a global network of entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate leaders for three days of startup competition, industry discussions, and networking. The program featured an exceptional lineup of speakers, including Daymond John of ABC’s Shark Tank, Marc Tarpenning, Co-Founder of Tesla, Will Grannis, CTO of Google Cloud, Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer of Microsoft, and senior executives from Waymo, Uber, ServiceNow, HP, and Salesforce AI Labs. The event also featured fireside chats and panel discussions exploring the future of technology, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and innovation, alongside insights from leading venture capital investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, DCVC, Norwest Venture Partners and more.

The event also included the Corporate Innovation Seminar on November 5, connecting corporate innovation leaders, venture capital professionals, and executives to discuss emerging technologies, strategic investments, and opportunities for collaboration between startups and global businesses.

The Grand Finale culminated on November 6, when the Top 10 finalists presented their companies to the audience and competed for the $1 million investment prize. The event concluded with a networking party bringing together founders, investors, corporate executives, and technology leaders.

“Every year, the Startup World Cup demonstrates the depth of entrepreneurial talent emerging from across the world. The 2026 finalists represent a diverse range of technologies, markets, and approaches to solving important challenges. Entrepreneurs from around the world raised the bar, challenged expectations, and reminded us that the next big breakthrough can come from anywhere,” said Anis Uzzaman, Founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures and Chairman of Startup World Cup.

Launched in 2017, Startup World Cup has expanded to more than 200 regional competitions worldwide, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete on an international stage. Organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, the competition connects startups with investors, corporations, and industry leaders while highlighting technologies and businesses with the potential to shape the future.

For photos of the event, please click here.

About Pegasus Tech Ventures

Pegasus Tech Ventures is a global venture capital firm and leading provider of Venture Capital-as-a-Service (VCaaS) solutions. The firm partners with corporations to access emerging technologies, make strategic investments, and advance Open Innovation initiatives through its global network. Pegasus manages over 40 funds and over $2 billion in assets and has invested in more than 300 startups, including SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Airbnb, Coinbase, and X (formerly Twitter). For more information, please visit www.pegasustechventures.com

About Startup World Cup

Startup World Cup is the number one global startup pitch competition hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures, connecting the world’s most promising startups with leading investors, entrepreneurs, and corporate innovators. With 200 regional competitions across six continents, founders have the opportunity to showcase their companies, expand their networks, and compete for a $1M investment prize at the Grand Finale in Silicon Valley. For more information, please visit www.startupworldcup.io

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Global startup competition brings together 200+ regional champions from around the world for its Grand Finale in San Francisco