Key Takeaways
- • ZymoChem, a specialty chemicals company from East Bay, California, won the $1 million investment prize at the 2026 Startup World Cup Grand Finale held November 6 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
- • The winner was selected from more than 200 regional competitions across over 60 countries, with a panel of venture capital investors and industry leaders citing its sustainability and supply chain resiliency focus in chemicals through biomanufacturing.
- • LainTech (Spain) finished second and Kauche Inc (Tokyo, Japan) finished third among the Top 10 finalists.
- • The event was organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, a venture capital firm managing over 40 funds and more than $2 billion in assets.
Summary
Startup World Cup, a global startup pitch competition organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, awarded its $1 million investment prize to ZymoChem at the 2026 Grand Finale on Friday, November 6, at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, according to a Business Wire release. ZymoChem, based in East Bay, California, describes itself as a specialty chemicals company focused on sustainability and supply chain resiliency in the chemical industry through innovative biomanufacturing. The company was selected from a field of startups competing across more than 200 regional competitions worldwide.
The three-day Grand Finale, held November 4 to 6, brought together entrepreneurs, venture capital investors, corporate executives, technology leaders, and industry experts. More than 200 regional champions representing over 60 countries across six continents competed for a place among the Top 10 finalists. LainTech of Spain took second place, while Kauche Inc of Tokyo, Japan, finished third. Other finalists included ProcurePro (Queensland, Australia), Yo-Kai Express (Kaohsiung, Taiwan), BioSapien (Silicon Valley), Crednce (Accra, Ghana), Monet (Bogota, Colombia), Belli (Hong Kong), and Enexor Energy (Malibu, California).
The program included a Corporate Innovation Seminar on November 5 focused on emerging technologies, strategic investments, and collaboration between startups and global businesses. Speakers included Daymond John of ABC's Shark Tank, Marc Tarpenning, co-founder of Tesla, Will Grannis, CTO of Google Cloud, and Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer of Microsoft. Venture investors represented in panels included Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, DCVC, and Norwest Venture Partners.
Anis Uzzaman, Founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures and Chairman of Startup World Cup, said the 2026 finalists represent a diverse range of technologies, markets, and approaches to solving important challenges. Launched in 2017, Startup World Cup has expanded to more than 200 regional competitions worldwide. Pegasus Tech Ventures, which describes itself as a provider of Venture Capital-as-a-Service solutions, has invested in more than 300 startups, including SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Airbnb, and Coinbase.
The three-day Grand Finale, held November 4 to 6, brought together entrepreneurs, venture capital investors, corporate executives, technology leaders, and industry experts. More than 200 regional champions representing over 60 countries across six continents competed for a place among the Top 10 finalists. LainTech of Spain took second place, while Kauche Inc of Tokyo, Japan, finished third. Other finalists included ProcurePro (Queensland, Australia), Yo-Kai Express (Kaohsiung, Taiwan), BioSapien (Silicon Valley), Crednce (Accra, Ghana), Monet (Bogota, Colombia), Belli (Hong Kong), and Enexor Energy (Malibu, California).
The program included a Corporate Innovation Seminar on November 5 focused on emerging technologies, strategic investments, and collaboration between startups and global businesses. Speakers included Daymond John of ABC's Shark Tank, Marc Tarpenning, co-founder of Tesla, Will Grannis, CTO of Google Cloud, and Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer of Microsoft. Venture investors represented in panels included Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, DCVC, and Norwest Venture Partners.
Anis Uzzaman, Founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures and Chairman of Startup World Cup, said the 2026 finalists represent a diverse range of technologies, markets, and approaches to solving important challenges. Launched in 2017, Startup World Cup has expanded to more than 200 regional competitions worldwide. Pegasus Tech Ventures, which describes itself as a provider of Venture Capital-as-a-Service solutions, has invested in more than 300 startups, including SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Airbnb, and Coinbase.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.