Harker will host the 2026 Startup World Cup Harker National Youth Qualifier on Fri., April 17, convening top high school entrepreneurs from across the United States to compete in the world’s largest startup pitch competition. All high school student entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit applications by Fri., April 3. There is a $500 travel stipend available for out of state finalists.
Sponsored by Pegasus Tech Ventures, the event is the only youth-exclusive regional qualifier among more than 100 Startup World Cup events held worldwide. Student-led teams will pitch their ventures before a panel of venture capitalists and technology leaders for the chance to win $2,500 in prize funding and secure a direct berth to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco, where winning startups from around the world compete for a $1 million investment prize. The youth regional mirrors the structure and rigor of the adult Startup World Cup qualifiers, giving students direct exposure to venture-style pitching and the global startup ecosystem.
Now in its third year, the Harker National Youth Qualifier has become a premier platform for elite student founders, industry leading speakers and renowned judges. The 2025 event featured Andy Fang ’10, co-founder of DoorDash and Harker Alum, who returned to campus for an in-person fireside chat. Students heard an inspirational video message from a Robinhood executive as well as pitch judging from a panel of Silicon Valley’s most influential VC firms, including Alex Rampell of Andreessen Horowitz, Sophia Luo of Greylock Partners, Gautam Krishnamurthi ’11 of GreatPoint Ventures, John Kwon of Samsung Ventures, Ajeet Singh of ThoughtSpot and Nutanix, Mylene Yao of Univfy and R. “Ray” Wang of Constellation Research.
Last year’s competition showcased a wide range of student-founded startups, including Wonderlabs, Visibil, Closet Cycle, YoungBiz, Scandy Swedes, Beyond the Bars and Cookr. Following the final pitches, Cookr, a short-form study app, earned first place and the $1,000 top prize, while Visibil, a voter education platform and Beyond the Bars, an app designed to help formerly incarcerated individuals access essential resources, also advanced to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco.
The 2026 Startup World Cup – Harker National Youth Qualifier will continue this tradition, with remarks from Satish Dharmaraj, managing director at Redpoint Ventures included in the program and a keynote by Brandon Yang, co-founder of Cartesia. The judging panel will include investors from Pear Ventures and Samsung Ventures, among others. Attendees will include venture capitalists, startup founders, technology leaders and business-minded students.
The event is organized in collaboration with Pegasus Tech Ventures, a global venture capital firm that backs high-growth startups and operates Startup World Cup competitions across six continents. Through this partnership, student founders gain access to the same international platform used by professional startups — advancing from a school-hosted regional to a global finals stage and engaging directly with the venture community. For more information, contact Michael Acheatel, Harker Business & Entrepreneur Program, at Michael.Acheatel@harker.org.
