On June 6, ten local startups gathered at Ernst and Young (EY) headquarters for the Startup World Cup regional finals, to compete for a spot in the World Cup Finals in San Francisco. Videobot, an interactive short-form video platform, was declared the winner.
The Startup World Cup is a prestigious global series of conferences and competitions designed to bridge worldwide startup ecosystems and encourage talented entrepreneurs to battle for a substantial investment prize of $1m. The competition comprises over 50 regional semi-finals held across the globe, with each regional winner advancing to the grand finale in San Francisco.
After much anticipation, Videobot, previously crowned entrepreneur of the year 2023, was declared the winner of the regional Startup World Cup. Videobot, a startup specializing in leveraging artificial intelligence to create personalized and interactive video content, impressed the judges with their approach and potential for scalability.
“This win is significant not just for me but for our entire team of 25 people. It validates our efforts and energizes us to keep pushing forward. We are incredibly ambitious, and now we have our sights set on San Francisco. We aim to not only compete but to win the biggest trophy,” says Matias Mäenpää, co-founder of Videobot.
Videobot will now prepare to represent Luxembourg at the grand finale in San Francisco. “The semi-finals and finals are indeed in San Francisco in October, giving us four months to prepare. We plan to secure even bigger Lighthouse clients. Fortunately, we have already signed a few key clients who will be going live in October. Our strategy involves becoming more sophisticated, maintaining a high tempo, and staying true to ourselves while delivering outstanding results,” said Mäenpää.
The victory at the regional finals is not just a win for Videobot but for the entire Luxembourg startup ecosystem, displaying the capacity to nurture and promote entrepreneurial talent. “Luxembourg has been like a warm hug for me from the very beginning. Even at the city hall when we registered, we received extra tips and support. As I immersed myself in the startup ecosystem, I found people genuinely wanted to help and get to know you. The culture here is fantastic, it’s a small ecosystem but a dynamic one. The support and camaraderie have been invaluable,” said Mäenpää.
“We are incredibly ambitious, and now we have our sights set on San Francisco. We aim to not only compete but to win the biggest trophy.”
Matias Mäenpää, co-founder of Videobot.
Worldwide partner Pegasus Tech Venture
Bill Reichert, Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures, gave an insightful keynote speech, emphasizing the critical role startups play in driving innovation and economic growth. “Luxembourg has its work cut out for it this year. This year the Startup World Cup is going to run nearly 100 competitions worldwide, so there’s going to be even more competition this year than any other year. So it’s going to be important for Luxembourg to support Videobot, to give them the opportunity to be coached and to develop their business, so they can continue to show momentum,” said Reichert.
The event was moderated by Lisa Burke, the creator of RTL Today and a renowned presenter, radio and podcast host, and science author. “I think that the Startup World Cup regional finals held here at EY have been a huge success. We had an enormous range of ideas and speakers, it’s always really positive to see how people perform with their ideas in four minutes on stage. Their communication has a deep impact on how their pitches caught the hearts of the judges in 20 seconds,” said Burke.
Pitch perfect
Ten startups took center stage for the chance to represent Luxembourg at the grand finale in San Francisco, pitching for four minutes, followed by two minutes of questions presented by the judges. The startups showcased included Äerd Lab, ClimateCamp, Emma Technologies, MDsim, Moniflo, StaysCo, Trace Crystal, Videobot, Wequity, and Yuri Lux. The pitches reflected a diverse range of industries and technologies, from environmental sustainability to advanced simulations and digital equity.
