The Startup Club is pleased to invite you to the AI Startup Competition - an online pitching event bringing together some of the most promising early-stage AI startups and active investors from across the world. 

This competition is designed to stay true to what The Startup Club does best: early-stage focus, curated investor audiences, and meaningful conversations — not pay-to-pitch noise. Participation in this event is completely free for startups. 

 

About the event 

We are opening applications to early-stage AI startups (pre-seed to seed) building innovative, scalable solutions using artificial intelligence.  

From all applications received by March 1, our team will shortlist 5-8 standout startups to pitch live during the online event on March 25. 

The selected startups will be officially announced on March 23. 

Each selected team will pitch in front of a carefully curated group of 50–100 investors, including angel investors, early-stage VCs, and tech-focused funds actively looking at AI-driven opportunities. 

 

Who Should Apply 

We welcome startups applying AI across a broad range of industries and use cases, including but not limited to: 

• Applied AI & SaaS 

• AI-powered SaaS platforms 

• Workflow automation 

• AI copilots and productivity tools 

• Generative AI 

• LLM-based products 

• Content, design, code, and marketing generation 

• Vertical-specific GenAI solutions 

• Enterprise & B2B AI 

• AI for sales, marketing, HR, finance, legal, or operations 

• Customer support automation 

• Decision intelligence and forecasting tools 

• Data, Infrastructure & Developer Tools 

• AI infrastructure and tooling 

• MLOps, model monitoring, and deployment 

• Data labeling, training, and optimization solutions 

• Deep Tech & Advanced AI 

• Computer vision 

• NLP and speech technologies 

• Robotics and autonomous systems 

• Edge AI 

• Industry-Specific AI 

• Healthtech & medical AI 

• Climate, energy, and sustainability AI 

• Fintech, insurtech, and regtech 

• Retail, e-commerce, and supply chain AI 

• Legaltech and proptech 

• Emerging & Experimental AI Use Cases 

• AI for education and learning 

• AI in creative industries 

• Human-AI collaboration tools 

   

If your startup uses AI as a core technology — not a buzzword — this event is for you. 

 

Why Participate 

• Pitch live to 50–100 investors in one room 

• Gain visibility among investors actively tracking early-stage AI 

• Get feedback and exposure without paying to pitch 

• Be part of a curated, founder-first ecosystem 

The goal is not just stage time — but real conversations that continue after the event. 

 

Event Format (Online | 2 Hours)

• Introductory welcome from The Startup Club

• Presenting the members of the Advisory Panel

• Start-up pitches, including Q&A and feedback

• 5-8 selected startups will pitch

• 5-minute presentation per startup

• 7-minute advisory panel feedback session

• Conclusion

 

About The Startup Club 

Since 2019, The Startup Club organizes curated pitch events, investment conferences, and founder–investor gatherings across multiple industries, including AI, healthtech, food & agri-tech, climate, sustainability and more.  

Our community now includes 150,000+ members worldwide and access to 100,000+ investor connections, allowing us to consistently bring the right startups into the right rooms. 

Our events are built around three core principles: 

• Early-stage focus 

• High-quality investor attendance 

• Long-term value for founders beyond the pitch 

We work closely with startups before, during, and after events to ensure that participation leads to meaningful exposure, connections, and opportunities, not just a one-off presentation. 

 

Key Dates at a Glance 

• Applications open: Now

• Application deadline: March 6

• Startup selection period: March 6 - 20

• Selected startups announced: March 23

• Live online competition: March 25