Founders Games

The World's Biggest Ever award Pool of $6 000 000

Founders Games - the world's impact innovation challenge!
Supporting exponential innovation for a better, healthier, desirable, accessible,
responsible sustainable and resilient future!


APPLY HERE for the next batch.

Scaleup? Apply for the Competition

Webit Investment Network (BSE: WIN) Signs SAFE for $500,000 Investment in World Leader in Precision Pollination - BeeHero

Webit Investment Network (BSE: WIN) Signs SAFE for $500,000 Investment in World Leader in Precision Pollination - BeeHero

May 23, 2024

Read more...

Mission statement

We identify, endorse and award globally the high growth companies and their founders who lead the way to achieving the SDGs by creating a successful, scalable, sustainable and resilient businesses.

Collective Intelligence

FG is the only global platform powered by the collective intelligence of 250+ late stage VC investors who commit time to score over 3000 applications per season from 140+ countries.

The finalists are selected among the top (highest) ranked companies (scaleups) after 5 rounds of selection.

What others say about us

What the founders say about the Founders Games

What the investors say about the Founders Games

Founders Games Awards Ceremony!

Global Outreach and Impact

Founders Games has established as the premier scaleup (high growth) innovation competition with the world’s biggest funding award of $6 000 000 (six million US Dollars) provided by over 750 investors in the publicly listed company - Webit Investment Network - WIN.

Over 3000 companies from 140+ countries apply for every season of the competition. There are two seasons:

  • Summer - the finals take place as part of our annual Webit editions (application window November - May)
  • Winter - in 2023 the finals took place during the WEF week in Davos (application window June - October)

You may see the previous finalists and their success stories.

JURY OPEN CALL

Join the collective intelligence scoring the most impactful innovations for the better, sustainable and resilient future.

Tim Draper
Tim Draper

Global Venture Capitalist, Draper Network

Hendrik Brandis
Hendrik Brandis

Co-Founder & Partner, Earlybird

Steve Schlenker
Steve Schlenker

Co-founder & Managing Partner, DN Capital

Bogomil Balkansky
Bogomil Balkansky

Partner, Sequoia Capital

Rinat Yogev
Rinat Yogev

Partner, GM Ventures

Christoph Schuh
Christoph Schuh

Investment partner, Lakestar

Marie-Helene Ametsreiter
Marie-Helene Ametsreiter

Lead partner, Speedinvest

Bakhrom Ibragimov
Bakhrom Ibragimov

Investment Partner, Molten Ventures

Alexander Galitsky
Alexander Galitsky

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Almaz Capital

Cem Sertoğlu
Cem Sertoğlu

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Earlybird Digital East Fund

Ali Karabey
Ali Karabey

Managing Director, 212 VC

Kurt Kaltenegger
Kurt Kaltenegger

Group VP, ABB Technology Ventures

Ajay Ramaachandran
Ajay Ramaachandran

General Partner, Webit Capital Partners

Arne Morteani
Arne Morteani

Founding Partner, Kiko VC

Alessandro Luciano
Alessandro Luciano

VP, Insight Partners

The winter grand finale award ceremony (with up to $6M equity award) of the world's premier growth stage competition Founders Games and the official cocktail reception by Webit took place in January 2023 in Davos during the WEF week.

Compare & compete with the best

in front of leading global & regional investors

With the support of

The 12th annual Founders Games competition in 2023 will bring together the best founders, the world's top investors, corporate leaders and media to identify and endorse the cutting edge innovations and impact entrepreneurs globally.


APPLY HERE for the next batch.

Scaleup? Apply for the Competition

Webit is doing an enormous service.

Eric Schmidt
Co-Founder, Schmidt Futures;
Former CEO, Google

Founders Games Verticals


Future of
Impact

  • Energy
  • Planet & Climate Tech
  • Smart Cities
  • Mobility
  • New Materials
  • Food & AgTech

Future of
business

  • Web3
  • SaaS
  • FinTech, Defi
  • Big/Small Data
  • Defence
  • Space
  • Logistics
  • Ecommerce

Future of
Health

  • Synthetic Biology
  • BioTech
  • Therapeutics
  • Digital Health
  • Wellness
  • Longevity

Future of
Entertainment

  • Digital Media
  • Neo Content
  • AI Companions
  • MarTech / AdTech
  • Fashion

Future of
Work

  • Robotics
  • AI, ML
  • EdTech
  • Metaverse
  • Collaboration
  • Brain Machine Interfaces
  • Enterprise
  • Voice, Haptics
  • Ambient AI Computing

APPLY HERE for the next batch.

Scaleup? Apply for the Competition

Based on historical data, when a company becomes Founders Games finalist:

In the next 4 months will
Close $5M - $50M
Round
In the next 4-6 years will
increase its attracted
VC Capital by 6.9 times
In the next 12 months will
Be invited to MANY OF THE
major global events

SUCCESS STORIES - GROW EXPONENTIALLY & WIN A GLOBAL EXPOSURE

The startups which participated in the previous 2 editions and were among the finalists have grown exponentially with an average increase of their invested capital by 6.9 times! Many have oversubscribed their investment round almost immediately after their participation in the Founders Games.

Founders Games stats: 2019-2020
Startup Domain Funding before Webit Total Funding after Webit
Wefarm Food / agriculture $9,7M Grant + Seed $34.2M Series A Pitch video Source
TestCard Health $2.5M $30M Pitch video Source
Sonavi Labs Health $1.8M Seed $4.5M Pitch video Source
Mediktor Health $3M Series A $15.8M Venture Round Pitch video Source
Medixine Health $3.2M Seed $7.3M Equity Crowdfunding Pitch video Source
Elemeno Health Health $4M Seed $7M Pitch video Source
Keyless Cyber Security $2.5M Pre Seed $9.5M Seed Round Pitch video Source
Lightyear Transport / Energy $28M Series A $110M Venture Round Pitch video Source
UAT (United Aircraft Technologies) Transport/aviation $530K Pre Seed $1.9M Seed Pitch video Source
Bloom Biorenewables Green energy $2.5M Seed €3.9M Seed Pitch video Source

The startup finalists and semi-finalists have had a stellar success after their participation at Webit when being in the beginning of their exponential growth continuing on to today.

VUZ

VUZ

VUZ is a leading immersive social app that allows users to stream and experience a new level of immersive realism in XR and Metaverse digital experiences. A few months after pitching on Webit’s stage, the company raised its $20M Series B round which was led by Caruso Ventures, Vision VC Fund, and strategic investors such as e& capital, investment pillar of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), DFDF, SRMG, and WIN (Webit Investment Network, the financing arm of the Founders Games).

Ecotree

Ecotree

Ecotree has successfully raised €12 million in June 2022 to help its journey towards becoming the leading European Nature-Based Solutions provider. In this Series B round, EcoTree has welcomed investment from new partners such as Société Générale Ventures, Financière Fonds Privés and Famae Impact. EcoTree has also been invited to the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos in January 2023, as part of the 10 'Top Innovators' delegation from the '1 Trillion Trees' initiative.

WeFarm

WeFarm

6 months after winning the 2019 Founders Games, WeFarm has raised $11M in Series A funding to expand its network for its knowledge-sharing platform for small-scale farmers. Since then they have rocketed on to tripling their funding to $32M.

Lightyear

Lightyear

The Netherlands-based company developing an ultra-energy-efficient automotive platform has had a stellar growth raising $110M in funding less than a year after its win at Webit 2020. They have already built 946 of their first long range solar electric vehicles designed to be grid independent and are on their quest to launch a second highly efficient solar EV at price less than €30K.

TestCard

TestCard

The UK FG 2019 finalist have raised funding of tenfold the amount before Webit with current funding at $30M. They have teamed up with 2 major hospitals in the UK to aid expansion for revolutionizing the accessibility and diagnostic capability of non-invasive at-home urinary tract testing.

Show4me

Show4me

The music interaction network has an impressive track record in helping artists succeed in their music and making music more enjoyable for the fans. In just 2 years after participating in Webit.Virtual 2020, they have raised funds tenfold their funding before Webit to $28M in their quest to bring back the value of music as an art form.

Read more Success stories in our News section

Why Founders choose Founders games?

The opportunity to access capital & global corporations

Upon your application you gain:



Opportunity to get a major share of the $6'000'000 award pool


Global exposure to investors - VCs, family offices, business angels

From second round onwards you will further get:



Media exposure


Connections with potential corporate partners and clients (Webit dedicated team shall guide you and help you with the networking and 1:1 meetings)


Free festival Webit tickets and opportunity to exhibit


Help and guidance with your presentation and pitch deck


Virtual + in-person pitches in front of top investors' jury

APPLY HERE for the next batch.

Scaleup? Apply for the Competition

Startup journey timeline

Startup journey timeline

1. Application
on our website

Fill in your company details
in the application form.

2. EVALUATION
CRITERIA

The criteria against which companies are evaluated in 5 rounds include:

Read more

3. Invitation
to pitch & present

Keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation email from us

Tip

4. Get ready
to pitch-perfect & win

Prepare your perfect pitch and get ready to roll

Read more

The Award Investment


The award investment is provided by Dr. Plamen Russev (chairman of Webit.Foundation, investor and serial entrepreneur) and prominent business angels.

Тhe form in which the investment will be paid is negotiable. It could be a convertible loan, which will convert into shares of preferred stock upon the closing of a next equity financing (Series A/B round of financing) at market terms for such an instrument. It could be in a bridge round or other solution in favour of the founders. The award may also also fund a pre-IPO investment round.

Participating in Founders Games grants the organizers the right to invest up to $5M in a single one or more startup finalists.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The criteria against which companies are evaluated in 5 rounds include:

1. IMPACT FACTOR
(SDG Compliance)

What impact the success of the company would have on achieving one or more of the 17 SDGs

2. UNIQUENESS
OF THE IDEA

To what extent the idea is unique and constitutes intellectual property (IP)

3. TEAM
CAPACITY

Team experience, successful previous projects, ability to complete the project, human capital.

4. BUSINESS MODEL, SCALABILITY
AND MARKET ADOPTION

Market adoption, growth potential, how long does it take for the market to understand and adopt the product/service (timing), marketing approach and success stories, business model and business development, revenue growth.

5. FUNDING
& FINANCES

Availability of financing and capacity to achieve the development of the product/service roadmap, team, marketing, growth and adaptation

6. LEADERSHIP AND PERSONAL
QUALITIES OF THE TEAM

Leading by example and potential for being a role model for other founder to work for achieving the SDGs.

Founders Games yearly stats



250+
investors watch and evaluate


6000+
startup applicants


1,500
startups receive free tickets


200
startups get selected to pitch and exhibit for free


65%
of all selected startups receive funding up to 8 months after participating

We partner

with responsible and ESG impact corporate & VC partners supporting their leadership and helping them innovate through collaboration with the startup/scaleup worlds.

Become a partner

Founders Games 2022 Highlights

In 2022 we take a step further. We want to expand our impact to many more millions of people and share our optimism about a world full of abundance of opportunities. A world made possible by bringing to light responsible, resilient lifestyle, exponential technologies and the people who will help the human kind to achieve it. See below and step into the adventure.

Metaverse Project

Founders Games Metaverse Project

Тaking a leap into the metaverse! Weekly showcase of amazing technologies from the real world to the meta bridging the best of human potential & technology.

Founders Games Summer Edition

Summer Edition

Part of our annual Webit editions - startups and scaleups from the 4 corners of the world will gather with VCs, investors, business & enterprise leaders for a showcase of their ideas, guidance and support, quality networking, knowledge sharing and media exposure.

Founders Games Summer Edition

Winter Edition

Closing 2023 with the best of the best founders for the win of a $6M award.

Mission

Founders Games – Curating one of the planet’s most impactful innovation communities.

Our mission is to make more people aware of the challenges and yet manifest the opportunities by discovering the means of solving them through innovation, hard work and the dreams of thousands of founders & countless ecosystem players. This is why Webit announces the world's biggest annual award pool for impact startup competition.

Global Award

$6’000’000 investment award and participation grants for the best startups.

The Founders Games have always been Webit's tool for fostering innovation and supporting the startup ecosystem globally. During the past 12 years we have been providing grants to hundreds of companies and supporting them in meeting the right partners, be recognized as future leaders, increase their funding, receive global media coverage, attract potential clients and grow.

Legacy

Supporting discovery and development of impact exponential technologies.

For the past 15 years Webit has been committed to fostering a global community focusing on creating a sustainable and resilient future. 12 out of 15 years of Webit history, the Founders Games have been our way of giving back to the community and above all – empowering the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

JURY OPEN CALL

Join the collective intelligence scoring the most impactful innovations for the better, sustainable and resilient future.

Tim Draper
Tim Draper

Global Venture Capitalist, Draper Network

Hendrik Brandis
Hendrik Brandis

Co-Founder & Partner, Earlybird

Steve Schlenker
Steve Schlenker

Co-founder & Managing Partner, DN Capital

Bogomil Balkansky
Bogomil Balkansky

Partner, Sequoia Capital

Rinat Yogev
Rinat Yogev

Partner, GM Ventures

Christoph Schuh
Christoph Schuh

Investment partner, Lakestar

Marie-Helene Ametsreiter
Marie-Helene Ametsreiter

Lead partner, Speedinvest

Bakhrom Ibragimov
Bakhrom Ibragimov

Investment Partner, Molten Ventures

Alexander Galitsky
Alexander Galitsky

Co-founder & Managing Partner, Almaz Capital

Cem Sertoğlu
Cem Sertoğlu

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Earlybird Digital East Fund

Ali Karabey
Ali Karabey

Managing Director, 212 VC

Kurt Kaltenegger
Kurt Kaltenegger

Group VP, ABB Technology Ventures

Ajay Ramaachandran
Ajay Ramaachandran

General Partner, Webit Capital Partners

Arne Morteani
Arne Morteani

Founding Partner, Kiko VC

Alessandro Luciano
Alessandro Luciano

VP, Insight Partners

Media Exposure

Leading journalists and correspondents from various worldwide media watch
and attend the Founders Games searching for the next great startup.

Media

Latest Founders Games Finals

& ESG Cocktail in Davos

19 Jan, 2023

Winter 2022 Edition Finalists

Previous Finalists

Watch On-demand


APPLY HERE for the next batch.

Scaleup? Apply for the Competition