Build Local. Think Global. Pitch Battle 2026 Launch

Tuesday 29th September 2026 | 5:30pm
Borealis Room, Sunborn Gibraltar

We are back ready to wrap up 2026.

Gibraltar is entering a new, more connected era, opening up opportunities for our businesses and entrepreneurs to reach further than ever before. But easier movement and access also brings more competition. At Startup Grind Gibraltar we aim to invest in what originates here and empower better ideas, better businesses, stronger skills, more scalable thinking and greater confidence competing internationally. Quite simply, let's make what Gibraltar produces stronger, more ambitious and more internationally competitive. And this September, we're bringing Gibraltar's entrepreneurs and wider business community together to start again.

Join Us for the Launch

Join us from 5:30pm on Tuesday 29th September in the Borealis Room at Sunborn Gibraltar as we officially launch this year's competition.

Pitch Battle 2026 Applications Are Open

We're interested in businesses that solve real problems, have the potential to create sustainable revenue and can look beyond Gibraltar as their only market. You might have an idea you're ready to develop, an MVP you're testing, your first customers or a business already gaining traction. The Pitch Battle process is designed to help founders test their proposition, improve how they communicate it, gain exposure, meet experienced business people and access mentorship, introductions and new opportunities.

Selected startups will ultimately pitch in front of a panel of experienced judges and key decision-makers. The winner of Pitch Battle 2026 will receive a £5,000 funding contribution to invest directly into developing their startup or business plan. But the value of taking part goes beyond the prize. Exposure matters. Feedback matters. Meeting someone who understands your business, challenges your thinking, makes an introduction or opens a door can matter just as much. That's why we bring the wider business community into the process too.

Apply for Pitch Battle 2026

Applications close 31st October 2026.

Who Can Apply?

The competition is open to existing businesses looking to scale internationally, startups incorporated in Gibraltar or planning to incorporate here, with a Gibraltar business licence or appropriate GFSC regulation. Applicants must be aged 18+. We're looking across ten areas that reflect Gibraltar's private sector and emerging opportunities:

Technology & AI | Financial Services | Security | Hospitality | Retail | Creative & Media | Sustainability & Environment | Health & Wellness | Real Estate | Social Impact & Community

Most importantly, we're looking for people prepared to think bigger. What problem are you solving? Who needs the solution? Can you build something commercially viable? And if it works in Gibraltar, where could it go next?

Gibraltar's size doesn't have to limit our ambition. It can give us an environment where ideas can be tested, people can be brought together quickly and businesses can prove themselves before looking further afield.

See a problem. Build a solution. Think bigger than Gibraltar.

Join us at Startup Grind Gibraltar