Empowering early-stage founders through investor-curated pitch events in the world’s most dynamic startup ecosystems
June 2025 — Silicon Valley, CA // The Ventures Award, an international program celebrating early-stage startup excellence, is expanding its global presence in 2025 with a new series of investor-led pitch events across 12 cities. Following successful editions in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, London, Buenos Aires, Bali and Tel Aviv, the award will now reach new innovation centers including Tokyo, Miami, Seattle, Singapore, Paris, and Berlin.
Founded in Silicon Valley, The Ventures Award has become a trusted gateway for startups seeking capital, visibility, and strategic partnerships. With support from over 100 venture capital firms and innovation hubs—including Stanford, Plug and Play, and Google—the award is known for surfacing exceptional early-stage companies with global ambition.
Each local event brings together curated founders and active investors for high-intent, no-fluff engagement. Startups are selected based on international criteria that include product readiness, early traction, and the strength of both the team and the underlying technology. Sectors highlighted in 2025 include AI, fintech, robotics, medtech, and cybersecurity.
“The energy at The Ventures in Chicago was unmatched — sharp founders, bold ideas, and real momentum. It’s rare to see this level of early-stage clarity paired with global ambition.” Yash Chaturvedi, Jury Member and Principal TPM at Amazon.
“The San Francisco edition brought together founders tackling some of the most urgent and complex problems in AI and deep tech. I was impressed by both their technological depth and market traction. The Ventures creates a space where real investor–founder trust can form — and that’s what moves ecosystems forward,” Matviy Kruglov, former Investor and Director of Ecosystem & Partnerships at Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, now at AWS.
With a mission to reach 50 global innovation capitals, The Ventures Award is not just a pitch stage — it’s a global network of opportunity. The next events are scheduled for Q2 and Q3 2025.
For partnership inquiries, judging opportunities, or startup applications, visit www.the-ventures.com