And the Winners of Startup Grind’s First Ever Global Pitch Battle Are…
Startup Grind hosted its first-ever virtual Global Pitch Battle Competition in late September 2020 where startups from all around the world battled it out to win amazing prizes, global recognition, and of course, bragging rights.
The competition took place in two phases. The first taking place in August, where Startup Grind Chapters from over 40 cities around the globe hosted local pitch battles to select the best startups from their respective cities. The top 3 winners of each chapter level pitch battle were then given the chance to compete with each other in the SG Global Pitch Battle Competition.
The second phase was the global competition which was hosted by Startup Grind’s Startup Program. In Round 1 of the global competition, winners of all the local pitch battles plus members of the startup membership program submitted a 1-minute elevator pitch to us. These pitches were then reviewed and the Top 10 pitches were selected to take part in the finals, which was a live streamed event where each of the ten finalists pitched one after the other to a live panel of three expert judges: Amy Jin, Sonny Mayugba and SC Moatti. Over 100 people including VCs, entrepreneurs, and SG chapter directors attended the event.
The Finalists
After carefully reviewing all the pitches, the following 10 startups were selected to pitch live at the Global Pitch Battle Finals on the 24th of September:
You can learn more about each of these startups and find their elevator pitches here.
The competition was stiff and each of the pitches were of a high quality with the margins being extremely fine. This made the decision for our judges extremely challenging, but in the end the following three startups were announced as the Top 3 for Startup Grind’s Global Pitch Competition.
The Winner of Startup Grind’s Global Pitch Battle Competition: Fashwire
Fashwire’s global platform, a 2-sided marketplace, provides its portfolio of 300+ designers from 30+ countries vital data and actionable insights into consumer shopping behavior patterns. For the consumer, the app provides an engaging experience and empowers them to give designers real-time feedback, creating a real dialogue that helps designers make intelligent production decisions to improve margins and increase profitability.
Fashwire’s CEO, Kimberly Carney, shared: “To pitch, present and be awarded the first-place prize in front of the world’s largest community of startups, founders, innovators, and creators is one of the greatest honors Fashwire has received to date since our launch in 2018.”
First Runner-Up: A.D.A.M.
A.D.A.M. is an on-demand personalized tissue manufacturer with full scope of related services (software, equipment, certification, digital platform etc); remotely or on site (in hospital). The company’s proprietary technology includes 3D printing of different tissues (initially bones), made of organic materials, which can be scalably and cheaply produced and used.
A.D.A.M.’s CEO, Denys Gurak, had this to say about the experience: “It’s great that events like the Global Pitch Competition keep happening during these challenging times. The world is thirsty for transformational ideas, especially in healthcare. We appreciate the positive feedback and are happy that our vision was unveiled to the global community”.
Second Runner-Up: Upside
Upside aims to help people start saving. Not by just moving their own money, as round-up or auto-save apps do, but by finding them new money. Helping customers find money that they never had. Frictionless money, like cashback.
CEO, Andries Smit, who pitched Upside reflects: “It was the best organised online pitching event we’ve been to. Standards were high and the judges asked hard questions and gave candid feedback. This felt very much like real VC conversations — which is great, and very different to most other competitions. We are delighted to have been selected as one of the winners. Thank you SG!”
More Pitch Battles Coming!
The event was a great way for the startups to practice their investor pitches and see where they stand in comparison to the other startups around them and learn from each other. While the startups were practicing and polishing their pitches, another major takeaway for them through this event was exposure. During the finals, while the ten startups were pitching to a panel of three judges, there were over 100 others including investors and other entrepreneurs witnessing them pitch.
Events like these can help startups get global exposure they need to grow, which is always extremely valuable. In fact, one of the startups was even approached by two separate investors over a potential investment as a result of witnessing their pitch during the event!
Interested in Getting Involved?
Startup Grind has many such events for all the amazing startups in its global community. To be a part of the future ones, apply to our Startup Program where you get to be a part of an exclusive community of over 1000 startups and investors. Read more about the Startup Program and apply here.
