The Entrepreneurship World Cup is one of the largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programs of its kind. Every year, tens of thousands of entrepreneurs from 200 countries compete for a share of US$1 million dollars in cash prizes and millions more worth of investment, support and publicity and a global finals event attended by leading investors.
The Entrepreneurship World Cup is co-hosted by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and Monsha’at, the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority in Saudi Arabia, with support from more than 50 strategic partners around the world.
The competition was conceived by the Misk Global Forum in 2019 and developed in conjunction with GEN.
The Entrepreneurship World Cup is more than just a pitch competition. It gives everyone who enters access to the knowledge, networks and for some, the capital they need to start and scale a company.
Eligibility Requirements
Any startup from around the world is welcome to apply and become an Applicant.
Applicant startups must be legally registered or planning to register in their country of residence.
Applicant startups must be ten years or less old by the date of the Global Finals. Entity age is set by the date of company registration and not idea conception.
EWC Global Winners who won cash prizes during previous editions of the EWC Global Finals (2019-2024) are eligible to participate again in 2025 with certain candidacy considerations for future would-be prizes:
EWC Applicants can only be eligible for different prize categories than the prize they earned during previous participation in the competition.
Only EWC Growth Stage winners are ineligible to participate as applicant candidates for EWC 2025.
Any other winners and/or category winners are eligible and encouraged to apply, but cannot compete for the same placement.
Employees of the organizers, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotional agencies, suppliers and immediate family members are not eligible to participate in the competition.
Funding Information
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Early Stage
The top five (5) Early Stage finalists receive the following cash prizes.
Early Stage Champion: $250,000
2nd Place: $200,000
3rd Place: $150,000
4th Place: $100,000
5th Place: $50,000
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Growth Stage
The top two (2) Growth Stage finalists receive the following cash prizes.
Growth Stage Champion: $175,000
2nd Place: $100,000
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Sector-Specific
New to the Entrepreneurship World Cup in 2025 is a focus on space tech and startups in the space sector. Finalists from all three stages – Idea, Early and Growth – in the categories below will compete for the following cash prizes.
SpaceTech for Mining: $100,000
SpaceTech for Sports Analytics: $100,000
SpaceTech for Health Monitoring: $100,000
SpaceTech for Agriculture + Resource Management: $100,000
Global Finals Cash Prizes: Idea Stage
The top two (2) Idea Stage finalists receive the following cash prizes.
