Supernova Challenge Pitch Competition

The World's Largest Startup Pitch Competition!

2024 Supernova Challenge 2.0 Winners

What is the Supernova Challenge 2.0?

The Supernova Challenge 2.0 is the world’s largest early-stage startup pitch competition, offering founders the opportunity to take home a cash pool equity-free!

Selected exhibiting startups have the chance to pitch directly to investors at the monthly Qualifiers, providing additional exposure and investor introductions prior to Expand North Star.

Semifinalists selections for Supernova will be on a rolling basis, shortlisted startups have a chance to connect with investors who are participating as judges and selected startups from each virtual pitch can prepare earlier for Supernova at the event

2024 FINALS JUDGES

Mike Butcher

Editor-At-Large

TechCrunch

Karim Konsowa

Portfolio Manager

Hub 71

Cristobal Alonso

Global CEO

Startup Wise Guys

Ibrahim Faruqi

Investor

Bessemer Venture Partners

Mattia Lecchi

Head of Immediate Accelerator

RS Productions

Stephanie Nour

Partner

Nuwa Capital

2024 Supernova finalists

Recruitment Smart Technologies

United Kingdom

H3-C59

Website

Aerleum

France

H8-B130

Website

Audax Financial Technology

Singapore

H10-C66

Website

AURA

United Arab Emirates

H10-C49

Website

Baiya Phytopharm

Thailand

H1-E51

Website

DataCanvas

China

H8-C81

Website

Druto Fintech Ltd. (Drutoloan)

Bangladesh

H8-B215

Website

Enerkite

Germany

H7-C74

Website

FiberSight

Portugal

H3-C21

Website

Hubee Design Subscription

Brazil

H6-B30

Website

Hypefy

Croatia

H3-D24

Website

Trismus Healthcare Technologies

India

H1-C79

Website

Longenesis

Latvia

H8-C53

Website

Lupiya

Moroccco

H8-B270

Website

Metagen Therapeutics, Inc

Japan

H8-B190

Website

Netzero Technologies

Taiwan (R.O.C)

H8-C170

Website

NEXTPAYMENTS INC.

Republic Of Korea

H1-E42

Website

Output Sports

Republic of Ireland

H8-C242

Website

POLYMERIZE

Japan

H8-B190

Website

Profile Print

Singapore

H1-E54

Website

SUPERNOVA OFFICIAL PARTNER

Blue

How can YOU apply?

To participate in the Supernova Challenge pitch competition, you must be an exhibiting startup at Expand North Star. You will be notified once Supernova Challenge is open for applications for our 2025 edition. Once you apply, you will receive emails on if you’ve been selected for the Virtual Qualifiers or for the Semi-Finals.

To apply, please complete the exhibitor booking form by following the button below. One of our team will be in touch directly to secure your spot for Expand North Star in 2025.

BOOK YOUR POD

2024 SEMIFINALS JUDGES

Vijay Tirathrai

Managing Director

Techstars

Elisabetta

Investor

Rockstart

Manoj Kumar Agarwal

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Seafund

Ravi Lakhani

Head of Middle East

ABRA Ventures

Mohamed Aladdin

General Partner

DPI Venture Capital

Elliott Denham

Head of Investment Programs

Oraseya Capital

Emon Shakoor

CEO

Blossom Accelerator

Dr Jerry Wu

Head of Investment

TusPark Holdings

Luis Gutman

Managing Partner

OW Ventures

Pratap Raju

Founding Partner

Climate Collective

Saagar Bhavsar

Partner

Begin Capital

Zainab Al Sharif

Principal

Plus VC

Ahmed Eid

Investment Manager

Techstars

De’Havia

Investor

Serena Ventures

Joseph Kwaku Appiah, AFMA, MBA, BBA

Vice President

Black Star Group

Olu Oyinsan

Managing Partner

Oui Capital

Abbas Kazmi

Investor

BlackWood Ventures

Owen Namusi

General Partner and Co-Founder

Darena Ventures

Sarah Grippay

Associate

Startupbootcamp

Shane Sabine

Managing Partner

Punch Capital

Daif Alrajhi

Head of Accelerator

500 Global

Jonathan Hollis

Managing Partner

Mountside Ventures

Nick Ponomarev

Senior Investment Analyst

ORBIT Startups

Saeed Alnofeli

Vice President

in5

Sion Hau

Investor

Plug and Play

Aditya Kathpalia

Director

Orbit Startups

Aleksandra

Investment Banking Analyst

Santander Corporate

Bejin Thomas

Investment Professional

Aditum Ventures

Ben Muchimuti

Portfolio Management

Five35 Ventures

Christos Mastoras

Founder & Managing Partner

Iliad Partners

Cyrine Ben Fadhel

Investment Manager

Seedstars Youth Wellbeing Ventures

Kyane Kassiri

General Partner

Rally Cap

Olivia Gao

Senior Associate

Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV)

Patrick Thiriet

CEO

EQ2 Ventures

Siddharth Havaldar

Investment Professional

CE-Ventures

Tien Nguyen

Founding Partner

Earth Venture Capital

Vanshika Singh

Associate

Golden Gate Ventures

FAQs

To enter the Supernova Pitch competition:

1) You will need to be one of the exhibiting startups attending Expand North Star.

2) Startups will then receive access to our Exhibitor Portal (Ezone)

3) Startups will then be required to submit their pitch deck, elevator pitch video & application form to be eligible for Supernova 2.0 

1st Place - $100,000 cash prize

2nd Place - $60,000 cash prize

3rd Place - $35,000 cash prize

Special Mentions:

  • Women in Tech Award: $10, 000 cash prize
  • YouthX Award: $9,000 cash prize
  • GITEX Europe Award – travel and booth to GITEX EUROPE 2025*
  • GITEX AFRICA Award – travel and booth to GITEX AFRICA 2025*
  • GITEX ASIA Award – travel and booth to GITEX ASIA 2025*
  • GITEX Nigeria Award - travel and booth to GITEX Nigeria 2025*

*Terms and Conditions Apply

The team will be in touch regarding your cash prize and next steps 1 week after Expand North Star.

If you are not shortlisted, there are many opportunities to engage with investors and the wider North Star audience. We will be keeping a waitlist in case of any last-minute changes. Please note that we receive hundreds of applications and the shortlisting goes through multiple rounds of review. 

  • 150 companies will be selected to pitch in-person as part of the Supernova Semi-Finals on Day 1 and Day 2.
  • 20 companies will move on to pitch in-person as part of the Supernova Finals which will take place on Day 4.

There will be no sector categories in the upcoming edition as part of Supernova 2.0. The selection committee will score and shortlist startups based on a variety of metrics including sector representation (see Scoring Metrics for additional information)

Starting in July, startups will be shortlisted every month to participate in a virtual pitch event called The Qualifiers. This will give your startup the opportunity to connect with investors who will participate as judges in the Qualifier rounds; receive feedback regarding your pitch early on; and additional exposure to attendees in the ecosystem. Startups are selected based on their pitch deck and video submission, and scored as per the judging criteria. 

If you are unable to participate or do not get selected for the Qualifiers, you will still be considered for the Supernova Challenge. All applications will be scored by a panel of judges after the application deadline, ensuring that every startup is reviewed before final shortlisting is made for the Semi-Finalists.

As part of the competition, the 20 Finalists will undergo rigorous Pitch Coaching sessions aimed at refining their presentations. Held in a closed-door setting, the coaching session runs from 9 AM to 12 PM, where each finalist delivers a 2-minute pitch followed by feedback on style and presentation slides from a designated Pitch Coach. Startups can then work on refining their pitch decks and come back at 3PM to pitch and submit their final deck one last time before the finals.

The deadline to submit on the Exhibitor Portal for Expand North Star 2024 is September 27th 11:59 pm UAE time.

Here is a good reference for you:

https://slidebean.com/blog/pitch-deck-structure

Your Pitch Video must be ONLY 60 Seconds or it will not be considered. Your Pitch Video must be in English and have a clear shot of your upper body (sitting or standing). Please submit your video by either a YouTube or a Vimeo URL.

Check out Paul Graham’s advice on story telling when pitching:

"Your goal, and your only goal, is to make investors feel it's not safe to cross you off. And there is a verb for convincing someone that something is not safe. It sounds dramatic, but your goal is to frighten them. But what frightens them? The possibility that you might become really big. They know there are maybe a few companies that will become really big….Before you start meeting investors, put together a rough draft of your fundraising vertebrae. These are the 3-4 points that compromise the narrative of why your company will be really big. Together, if investors believed in any of these points, they’d be afraid not to bet on you. As you do, keep in mind that there is an important distinction between what the business is and how you tell the story of what your business is. Your conversations with investors should influence the latter, not the former. No investor knows your business as well as you do.”

The announcements of the shortlisted startups for the semi-finals will be announced on the 7th of October.

The general judging criteria is broken down to main areas. Please keep these in mind as you design your pitch deck, pitch video, and semi-finals, finals pitches!

  • Idea: How innovative is this idea?
  • Market Opportunity: Market Size, Competition, Scalability
  • Business Model: Revenue Model, Pricing, Target Customers
  • Traction: Any revenue, customers, investors?
  • Team: Is a skilled team in place for the startup’s success?

No, there will be a new selection process each year. You will have to apply to be considered again. Similarly, if you are shortlisted for the finals after pitching in the semi-finals but you miss the pitch, you will be replaced with the next runner-up.