The best Mediterranean investor-startup event
"Mediterranean Innovation, Global Impact"
Welcome to the Mediterranean Startup World Cup, where innovation meets opportunity.
On October 11, 2024, in Palermo, Italy, we’re bringing together the brightest minds and the most ambitious startups from across the Mediterranean to connect with world-class investors and corporates.
For the semifinal of the world’s largest pitch competition: the Startup World Cup organized by Pegasus Venture and held in San Francisco Oct 2025.
This is your chance to be part of an event that will shape the future of innovation in Mediterranean region. Whether you’re a startup looking to scale or an investor seeking the next big breakthrough, this event is designed to provide unparalleled opportunities.
Gain access to over 30 international investors managing a combined $2.3 billion. This is your moment to secure the funding that can take your startup to new heights.
The winning startup will represent the Mediterranean at the Startup World Cup 2025 in Silicon Valley, with a chance to win a $1 million investment.
Connect with key players in the startup ecosystem, from successful entrepreneurs to experienced mentors, who can provide valuable insights and support.
Showcase your innovation on an international platform, attracting media attention and potential partners from across the globe.
Benefit from the expertise of seasoned investors and industry experts who will provide constructive feedback on your pitch and business model.
The top three startups will also gain access to the ITU Seed Acceleration Program, a fully online program hosted by Istanbul Technical University and ITU ARI Teknokent’s incubation center.
In addition, these startups will be part of the Startup District at WMF 2025 in Bologna, Italy. They’ll participate in exclusive B2B meetings, pitch on the Startup Stage.
Application Deadline: 13th September 2024
Selected Startups Announced: 20th September 2024
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be at the heart of Mediterranean innovation. Apply now and be part of a movement that’s shaping the future of the startup world.
Engage with 22 carefully selected startups from around 20 Mediterranean countries, each with unique solutions ready to disrupt the market.
Meet and network with other top-tier investors, industry leaders, and corporate executives, fostering partnerships that can drive innovation.
Identify startups that align with your investment goals or strategic interests, providing opportunities for early-stage investments or partnerships.
Gain insights into the latest innovations and trends emerging from the Mediterranean startup scene, ensuring you’re at the forefront of industry developments.
Play a key role in fostering the growth of the Mediterranean startup ecosystem, driving economic development and innovation in the region.
The Mediterranean Startup World Cup is THE event for startups ready to make waves in the Mediterranean and beyond. Hosted for the first time in Southern Italy, this event is a key semifinal in the Startup World Cup, the world’s largest pitch competition organized by Pegasus Venture.
This year, we’re bringing together 22 of the most innovative startups from 20 Mediterranean countries to pitch in front of top investors, corporate giants, and a global audience. The winner? They’ll be heading to Silicon Valley for the chance to win a $1 million investment. 🌟
The Mediterranean semifinal is just one of the many happening worldwide. Here are some of the other global hotspots:
Meet the global visionaries shaping the future of innovation. Our lineup includes some of the biggest names in the startup world:
GP at Everywhere
Jenny Fielding is a co founder and Managing Partner of Everywhere Ventures, having invested in 300+ pre-seed startups and building a community of 500+ founders and operators. Previously, she spent 7.5 years as Managing Director of Techstars, where her portfolio now exceeds a $10B market cap. Jenny is also a 2x founder, lawyer, and adjunct professor at Columbia University and Cornell Tech.
GP at Smart Society Ventures
GP at Coelius Capital
Zach Coelius is a five time entrepreneur and early stage technology investor. He has invested $100m in over 80 young companies including Cruise Automation (bought by GM for $1B+), Branch Metrics, mParticle, Booksy, Mud Water, Hellosign (bought by DropBox), Apprente (bought by McDonalds) and Mercury.
7x Founder (3 exits, 1 IPO) Former Head at 500 Startups
Mike Sigal, founder of Sigal Ventures, assists startup founders, corporate executives, and fund managers in optimizing performance. He serves as a Venture Partner for GPO Fund, MiddleGame Ventures, Niches, Pella Ventures, and Revolution DAO, and advises Unbounded Capital. With over 35 years of experience, including founding 500 Startups Fintech Fund and leading four successful exits, Sigal now resides in Portugal.
GP at Jabroni Capital
Jack Kuveke is a serial entrepreneur and founder of the satire newsletter Jabroni Capital. He has raised millions for startups, including a $53M ICO, and helped early-stage founders secure $120M. Jack now splits his time writing about the tech/VC ecosystem and consulting founders on fundraising.
Chairman & Partner at Primo Ventures
Gianluca Dettori is the founder and president of Primo Ventures SGR, managing €438 million across funds in digital, healthcare, climate, and space sectors. A pioneer in Italy's tech scene, he co-founded Vitaminic, bringing it to the stock exchange, and has supported over 20 tech companies as an angel investor. Dettori also founded dpixel srl, writes on tech and VC for major publications, and is a councilman of the Italian Tech Alliance.
Director at Orbit Startups
Aditya leads Orbit Startups in India and the MENA region and has over a decade of experience in entrepreneurship and innovation. He has previously worked as an Innovation Consultant for Abu Dhabi's Anjal Z program and led Ecosystem & Growth initiatives at Chiratae Ventures. Aditya has advised top firms like Shell, Google, and Amazon AWS on startup initiatives across various sectors, including Energy, FinTech, and Health tech.
GP at Middlegame Ventures
Pascal Bouvier is a venture capital investor specialized in fintech and adjacents. He is the founder and managing partner of MiddleGame Ventures. Pascal is based out of Luxembourg and invests across Europe in early stage startups that build embedded intelligence across the European economy, across infrastructure plays and b2b business models that enable smart assets, smart transactions and smart agents. Pascal has over 15 years of experience investing in venture capital. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds an MBA from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia.
GP at Ford Street Ventures
Journalist & Founder at Startupbusiness
Emil Abirascid, journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of Startupbusiness, the first magazine on the Italian startup and innovation ecosystem. Co-founder of Designtech, the innovation hub that brings the world of design and technology closer together. Advisor to Austrian Business Agency, Emil Banca, Fondazione Symbola, Fondazione Quadrans. He regularly participates in meetings, conventions, and conferences dedicated to the innovation ecosystem. He was co-organiser of the Italian Innovation Day and Series held from 2016 to 2020 in Tokyo, Japan, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Canberra in Australia and Singapore and co-organiser of the Italy India Innovation Day of AIICP 2021 and 2022.
GP at Sunny Side Venture
Sadaharu Saiki, Founder & GP at Sunny Side Venture Partners, is focused on investing in startups with high ambitions across Africa and the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on North Africa. Based in Cairo, he has invested in nearly 20 companies and brings experience from Dentsu Inc. and McKinsey & Company. Sadaharu holds a Bachelor from Kyoto University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
CEO at Nomadic Minds
CEO at NonPublic
Milan is the CEO of NonPublic.io, a platform enhancing access, transparency, and liquidity in private markets. A serial entrepreneur, he founded Postr, which was acquired by Play2Pay, and served as CEO of iVS.tv, later acquired by Showheroes Group. Milan has raised over $60M for startups and founded Southeast Asia's largest angel club, Ascend Angels, and early-stage fund, Orvel VC.
Founder & GP at TenNine VC
Founder at TenNine VC. Investing early in planet positive tech in EU, UK, US and Australia. Running TenNine Syndicate and venture advisory TenNine PRO. Venture Partner at several global funds, based out of Amsterdam. PhD in Engineering, MBA from Stanford.
Founder at Venture Studio Family
Max Pog is a 4x entrepreneur and author of the Big Startup Studios Research 2023. Host of the 7 Venture Studio, VC & Family Office online conferences & founder of the Venture Studio Family community. LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/maxpog, Youtube: youtube.com/@pogmax, Twitter: x.com/maxpogu
GP at Den Venture Capital
Waleed Khalil is the founder of DEN VC, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on deep tech startups in Africa and the Middle East. With over two decades of experience in consumer electronics manufacturing across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Egypt, Waleed previously served as a partner at Endure Capital, where he contributed to the emergence of four unicorns. He holds a degree in electronics engineering and an MBA in finance, and is a professor at the American University in Cairo.
CEO & Co-Founder at ShareDocView
Vincenzo "Vince" Belpiede is a tech entrepreneur focused on building affordable SaaS products for sales and marketing professionals through his SaaS Venture Studio. His projects include ShareDocView.com, Calendbook.com, Salesforza.com, and OneTouchPaste.com. Vince has over seven years of experience as a product manager at Nokia and Microsoft, where he helped launch products that reached over 50 million consumers. He holds a dual MSc in International Management from the Helsinki School of Economics and Bocconi University.
CEO & Co-Founder at Impulse4Women
Taryn Andersen is the CEO and co-founder of Impulse4Women.org, a nonprofit aimed at increasing investment in female-led tech entrepreneurs through a matchmaking platform. She is also the Investor Relations Director at THCAP Venture Capital, investing in Digital Health, EdTech, FinTech, and cybersecurity. Taryn serves as a Jury Member at the EIC Acceleration Funding Instrument and as a Facilitator at the EIC Women Leadership Programme.
GP at Keiretsu Forum
Ardian is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with over 20 years of experience across various industries, including jewelry and telecommunications. He is the founder of successful ventures like Green and Protein, which is expanding into multiple European markets, and is the Chapter President of Keiretsu Forum Southeast Europe, connecting investors across nine countries. Ardian holds an Executive MBA from IEDC – Bled School of Management, and has received notable awards such as the UNICREDIT Alumni Achievement Award. In January 2023, he was appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia for Kosovo.
MP at Interfima
Anastasios Avranas is a finance professional with extensive experience in entrepreneurship and innovation across multiple industries, including banking, insurance, healthcare, logistics, technology, and smart cities. He has provided valuable mentorship and advisory support to startups and major international organizations, with notable achievements such as being recognized in Astron’s top 10 cases and advising on programs like EBRD Star Venture and PMI's Pella Challenge. Passionate about leveraging technology for social good, Anastasios is involved in projects like Project Dignity and Civyla and actively supports aspiring entrepreneurs as a mentor and angel investor.
COS at Exceptional Capital
Melissa Morano Aurigemma is Chief of Staff at Exceptional Capital where she leads operations, investor relations and portfolio support. In her prior work as a communications consultant and strategist she managed the implementation and scaling of operational frameworks to enhance organizational effectiveness. She leverages her extensive academic work in philosophy and digital ethics, along with her previous work as a legal analyst to provide a holistic approach to start up growth and founder support.
Growth Investor at Speedinvest
Varun Rekhi is an Investor on the Speedinvest Growth Fund, focusing on Series A+ opportunities across Europe, MENAP and Sub-saharan Africa. Previously, he was an investor at Mubadala Capital in London, focusing on growth opportunities in Europe. Varun began his career with the JP Morgan Investment Banking team in Singapore followed by Co-founding PwCs Capital Markets Advisory arm in New York, where he worked on some of the largest sponsor-backed IPOs, including European giants such as UiPath. He is based in London and holds a Bachelors from New York University and an MBA from London Business School.
CEO & GP at Uncovered Fund Inc.
Takuma is CEO & general partner of UNCOVERED FUND. He founded the company in 2019 and started investing in Africa with the first fund in 2020. In the past 3 years, we have supported 29 startup companies in Africa. We will collaborate with African startups and major Japanese companies to contribute to the growth of the digital economy.
Investment Manager at Techstars
Ahmed is a tech entrepreneur turned VC with 15+ years of experience. He was a key player at Wuzzuf.com, scaling the business from seed to series B and building one of MENA’s top B2B sales teams. Currently, he’s an Investment Manager at Techstars, managing investments across MENA. Previously with 500 Global, Ahmed has worked with hundreds of founders, focusing on helping startups scale and succeed in competitive markets.
CEO at Entrepreneur Endeavors
A seasoned Angel investor and senior financial advisor with over 25 years of international experience, I specialize in orchestrating high-value transactions across diverse industries and global markets. My expertise spans from acquiring companies for leading Telecom operators to facilitating sales to corporates and private equity firms, delivering remarkable results for clients across the Benelux, Middle East, US, and Asia.
GP at Gaingels
General Partner at Gaingels, most prolific fund on the planet, 2300 startups investment in 6 years
Here’s a sneak peek at the 22 incredible startups that have been selected from across the Mediterranean region. These companies represent the cutting edge of innovation, addressing challenges in fields like technology, sustainability, healthcare, and more. Each of these startups has the potential to drive significant change, and we’re thrilled to see what they’ll bring to the table in Palermo.
STAY TUNED
We’re a group of passionate professionals dedicated to making this event a success
This event is invite-only to ensure the best possible environment for our participants. If you want to be part of this game-changing event, drop us an email to request an invitation. We’re creating the perfect atmosphere for innovation to thrive, so let’s make magic happen together!
Palermo Cruise Terminal, Molo Vittorio Veneto al Porto, Palermo
We’re excited to welcome you to Palermo, the vibrant heart of the Mediterranean, for the Mediterranean Startup World Cup. This historic city offers more than just an incredible event. It's a destination full of culture, history, and unforgettable experiences.
