<p>Startups at Web Summit benefit from access to masterclasses, competitions and Mentor Hours, and from networking opportunities with top investors and industry experts. Our initiatives are designed with your goals in mind.</p>
<p><strong>Please note applications for 2025 have closed now</strong>. You can still book tickets or apply for our 2026 ALPHA startup programme.</p>
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<p>A member of our startups team will review your application. You’ll receive an email with more information.</p>
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Thanks for applying for the Web Summit Rio 2026 startup program

Your startup journey

<p>Attendees from across the globe. The world’s leading journalists. Investors from the world’s biggest funds. Tech’s most visionary founders. You’ll find them all at Web Summit Rio.</p>
<p>Successful applicants to our ALPHA startup program will have full access to hundreds of hours of content, including masterclasses. All startups in the ALPHA track are eligible to apply for <a href="https://rio.websummit.com/startups/pitch/">PITCH</a>, <a href="https://rio.websummit.com/startups/40-words/">40 Words</a>, <a href="https://rio.websummit.com/startups/startup-showcase/">Startup Showcase</a> and more.</p>
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What’s on offer to participating startups?

<p class="p1">Our startup success team will help you find relevant roundtables, masterclasses and Mentor Hours, helping you gain valuable advice and expert strategies to grow your business and give you the competitive edge to succeed.</p>
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Meet investors and mentors

<p class="p1">Do you have an outstanding product or groundbreaking idea? Introduce yourself and your vision to the world by taking part in PITCH, Startup Showcase or 40 Words.</p>
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Put your business in the spotlight

<p>Web Summit Rio is the ultimate networking opportunity. Our software will help you to connect with some of the most exciting names in tech, allowing you to grow your network.</p>
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Create meaningful connections

Ready for your Web Summit Rio startup journey? Let's get started.

<p>Our startup success team will help you to get ready for Web Summit Rio. You’ll be entered in one of three distinct startup programs: ALPHA, BETA or GROWTH. Each program has a range of support, from helping you create your exhibitor stand to polishing your pitch deck.</p>
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Get up to speed with our startup success team

<p>Your startup profile is the key to raising your visibility at Web Summit Rio. This is the place to showcase your product pitch, alongside links to your website and social media presence. What’s your USP? Share it with our attendees, and have it featured on our website.</p>
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Create your startup profile

<p>We have a number of unique startup activations at Web Summit, including PITCH, Startup Showcase and Mentor Hours. You may want to apply for some or all of these, depending on your own needs. PITCH, for example, gives early-stage startups the chance to compete in a live pitching battle on our largest stages.</p>
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Apply for startup activations

<p>Once you arrive at Web Summit Rio, there are countless opportunities to ensure potential customers, investors and partners can find you. Aside from your stand on the exhibition floor, the Web Summit Rio app is a powerful networking tool for you and your startup.</p>
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It’s time for Web Summit Rio!

Startup activations at Web Summit Rio

<p>PITCH is Web Summit Rio’s startup competition, bringing together the world’s leading early-stage startups to battle it out onstage.</p>
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PITCH

<p>Meet the minds behind the unicorns and get advice from people who’ve done it all before. Mentor Hours connects rising startups with established experts for 45-minute meetings.</p>
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Mentor Hours

<p>Startup Showcase shines the spotlight on your idea. Expect quickfire presentations with startups showcasing their solutions to the biggest issues in their industries.</p>
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Startup Showcase

<p>Are you looking for more exposure? 40 Words gives startups at Web Summit Rio the opportunity to broadcast their message across the event – in just 40 words.</p>
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40 Words

<p>High-potential startups meet with leading investors in a series of pre-scheduled meetings specially designed to give their startup an edge. This is where you&#8217;ll get insider advice on making your startup irresistible to investors.</p>
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Meet with investors

<p>Web Summit Rio’s startup masterclasses give you an opportunity to learn directly from tech’s leading investors, executives, accelerators and incubators.</p>
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Startup Masterclasses

Watch the highlights from Web Summit Rio

They came as small startups

<p>Our startup program, ALPHA, shines a light on early-stage startups with outstanding potential. Among these exciting startups are dozens of startups using tech to benefit their industries, their local communities and the planet. These are our Impact startups.</p>
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