1) You must currently be a student, have a student on your team or have graduated within 2 years.

2) Students must have at least 2 co-founders, and

3) implementing 1 of the 17 UN sustainable development goals within their startup.

After phase 1 has been completed, all applicants must complete our online program which runs from May 20th until July 20th. This phase is to teach a few ways we do things here in the nordics and to add more info for our judging round. You will work at on your own time to complete the program.

The online program will consists of mini workshops about SDGs, Go-to-Market, Patenting, Pitch Deck, and Video Pitching. All courses are subject to change.

The link will be conveniently available on our website and we will also send you a link when it is ready.

No, all startups must complete both phase 1 and phase 2 in order to have a chance of becoming a finalist. Aug 20th we will announce the final winners.

No, phase 2 of the application is mandatory for all interested applications. Only after the judging round will you know if you are a finalist.

The next steps after completing phase 1 is to complete our online program which will consist of about 15-25 hours of work and can be completed at your own leisure between May 20th and July 20th.

You must have completed both phase 1 and phase 2 of the application before July 20th. You must be solving 1 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, have a good team and of course, a good idea.

If you become a finalist to attend the 3 day event in Copenhagen, you are entitled to the 1000 USD. You must attend the 3 day event and will only receive the funds after the event. All teams are responsible for ensuring communication with venture cup in order to receive the funds.

No, Venture Cup does not cover flights and accommodation. You can use your grant towards this, but funds will only be administered after the finals in Copenhagen.

Finalists will be announced on August 20th.

i) Access to other talented startups from Denmark and around the world.

ii) Exhibit your startup at High Tech Summit

iii) 1000 USD grant with no strings attached

iv) Get face to face mentor time

Book your flight ticket to Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup. This is situated approx. 20 minutes from inner city of Copenhagen and very easy to get into the city through the airport metro.

4 min. You will also be required to submit a 2 min video for the online programme. We also ask you to prepare a 1 minute pitch for when you are meeting with industry professionals, mentors and other startups.

We have entered into a partnership agreement for you with CABINN  which will offer a 25 % discount on all rooms exclusively for USWC finalists! The price includes breakfast every morning. The promotional code will be coming soon. The location will be next to TIVOLI, which is city centre.

Although it is not mandatory, we highly encourage you to stay at CABINN as this increases your chances of networking with the other finalists and gain the most from social relations. Venture Cup will not be responsible of booking your rooms.

You will need to buy tickets, we suggest buying the 3 day or 5 day pass so you can travel whenever you like.

Competitors should not assume any right of confidentiality to any information presented or discussed in public sessions. Please be aware that members of the media, potential competitors, and members of the financial community may attend public sessions. All judges, jury and VC staff sign a confidentiality agreement.

By participating in the competition, competitors agree that Venture Cup assumes no liability and shall have no liability or obligation whatsoever for disclosures of information provided by a competitor as part of a submission or otherwise during the course of the competitions.

The organisation behind USWC is called Venture Cup. Venture Cup is a non-profit organisation with the purpose of helping students fulfill their dreams and try the life as an entrepreneur. We offer development programs and host several annual startup competitions. Read more about Venture Cup here.

Breakfast is included at CABINN. Some food and beverages will be provided during the week but if you have allergies, you will need to ensure you cover your own meals.

All participants are responsible for applying for their own VISA. We will write the letter you need for your application but the rest is up to you.

It’s important that you bring something to showcase your idea or business. Either a prototype, a product, a poster…be creative! You will use these materials at the Hightech Summit at DTU, therefore we highly suggest that you have business cards, rollup and other materials ready to look professional.

Remember to also bring a usb key to save your updated slides during the week and bring for the semi-finals.

This is where World Cup finalists, people from the Danish startup environment and international business professionals all get together to celebrate an amazing week! The process and your involvement during the day is fairly simple:

Five winners are announced live on stage. If your team is mentioned, you will go on stage to receive your reward, and immediately after, you will pitch towards the audience and the VIP jury sitting on stage. The jury will then have 7 minutes for Q&A, so be prepared to reflect on your idea! By the end of the day, an overall winner of the University Startup World Cup will be selected and presented. The location is TBA.

Thursday, October 31st, all finalists will participate in an EXPO at DTU High Tech Summit where more than 6000 guests will participate.

The dimensions of your stand at the DTU High Tech Summit where you will present your startup are 2 meter x 1 meter. You are allowed and encouraged to bring posters, roll ups and the like. We will provide pins for you to post your materials.

Read more about the summit here.

A typical meal at a café in Copenhagen costs around 120 DKK (18 USD) and 5 USD for a soda.

You are expected to buy weekly ticket for public transport around Copenhagen, it will cost 380 DKK (61 USD).

Please do your own research about where its most affordable to eat as it can be an expensive city!

Yes, you are of course welcome to bring anyone who can cheer for you during the week. But please be aware that all events during the week are for the finalists and country partners only – except for the EXPO and the Award Show which are open to guests. But Copenhagen is a lovely city, and there is plenty to explore during the day.

Danish Fall is sweater and umbrella weather. In October, the streets are already covered with gold leaves in the air smell of fresh earth.

Your pitch is going to be 4 minutes long, and after there will be approx. 10-minutes time for Q&A from the judges. We will be sharing this info with you on the online program. The format of the pitch is (16:9) in PDF or PPT version.