Join Startup Grind New York City for the first ever Startup Grind All-Star Pitch Battle — the premier worldwide competition for early-stage startups. Apply here!

We’re searching for the Startup of the Year in every city across the Startup Grind global community. Local winners will go head-to-head with the top startups in their industries on a global stage, pitching in front of Silicon Valley VCs for a chance to claim the title of All-Star Champion, and win prizes along the way.

In the New York City battle, 20 startups will take the stage in front of fellow founders and investors. The winner earns the title of New York's Rising Startup of the Year!

Think you've got what it takes? Submit your application to pitch here!

The winner advances to the global semi-finals, grouped by industry. Each industry winner in the virtual semi-finals advances to the finals where they pitch at the virtual Startup Grind Global AI Summit. The ultimate winner secures a free exhibitor spot at the 2026 Startup Grind Conference, complete with VIP access, and investor matchmaking.

As an attendee you'll have an opportunity to follow up with each founder, whether it's to invest, become a customer, form a partnership, or provide a service.

🚀 Local event format: 1 minute pitch, 1 single slide. What happens next?

• One winner per city progresses to the Semi-Finals.
• Virtual Semi-Finals by Industry – September 24 (Virtual: RSVP as an attendee for free)
• Virtual Finals at the Startup Grind AI Summit – October 1, in front of 5,000+ tech attendees and VCs. Including prizes, 1:1 investor meetings, a full exhibition package to SG Conference 2026, and more.

Early-stage investors will attend and judge, as well as corporate partners, and a ton of founders, so plenty of pitching and networking to be done throughout the afternoon!

Read more and see FAQs here.

Register to attend the Semi-Finals (categories below) and the Finals.

• Software and AI Semi-Finals
• Consumer Tech & Media Semi-Finals
• Deep Tech, Climate & Frontier Semi-Finals

Hosted in collaboration with The Yard coworking community, this event offers a platform for startups to share ideas, gather feedback, and connect with fellow founders.

• 📅 Date: Thursday, September 18th
• 🕓 Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
• 📍 Venue: The Yard: Herald Square
• 🎫 Tickets: Only $5 (includes happy hour refreshments)
• 📑 Founders: Sign up here to pitch!

Begin with happy hour drinks while mingling with fellow founders and members of The Yard. The spotlight soon shifts to top emerging startups who will take the stage to pitch their visions.

AGENDA

• 5:30 PM: Happy Hour with Pitching Founders
• 6:00 PM: Startup Pitches - 1 minute each
• 7:00 PM: All-Star Winner Announced!