Orlando will be one of two regions in Florida to host a national startup contest that will award $1 million to one winner.
The period to apply to participate in the Startup World Cup ends Friday, with regional finalists set to be selected shortly thereafter and taking the stage in Orlando.
Miami will also host a preliminary round.
“We have some depth here,” Innovate Orlando CEO David Adelson said. “When you look at the Orlando market, we cover so many sectors from fintech to simulation to gaming. These are all sectors that fall under that Web 3.0 umbrella.”
Innovate Orlando was instrumental in attracting the World Cup to Orlando. The event, hosted annually and based out of Silicon Valley, launched in 2017.
This will be the first time it’s in Orlando. YOU CAN FIND INFORMATION HERE.
“We have evolved drastically in the last three years,” Adelson said. “There is more synergy and more collaboration happening across all organizations and the main focus is technology.”
The Orlando version of the World Cup will invite local experts to serve as judges for a pitch competition at the Orlando Science Center on Sept. 18.
Winners will move on to a second competition in Silicon Valley later this year.
Judges this year include Priceline Founder Jeff Hoffman, former Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello and Rob Deininger of Advent Health, among others.
“These are powerhouse judges,” Adelson said.
The Startup World Cup did not initially have Orlando on its radar.
However, Adelson said he reached out months before last year’s event when he learned that the event only had Miami as an expected site host in Florida.
Adelson said it’s an opportunity for Orlando’s tech community to showcase what exists here.
“We want to have the best representing Orlando,” he said. “We have an active and prosperous community and we continue to grow.”
The competition is formally hosted by San Jose-based Pegasus Tech Ventures, a VC firm that has companies like SpaceX, DoorDash and Snapchat in its portfolio.
“Our goal is to take the best and most innovative, up-and-coming company here and put that on a main stage up against the rest of the world,” Adelson said. “This is about what Orlando has to offer as a community.”