The Global Entrepreneurship Network, Misk Global Forum, and the Global Education & Leadership Foundation today announced that two USA startups won top prizes at the 2021 edition of the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC). The initiative is one of the world’s largest pitch competitions and support programs for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Orbillion Bio, a San Francisco company on a mission to bring healthy, ethical, and flavorful meats with a complete farm-to-table story to the modern consumer, finished second overall and received a $250,000 cash prize.
Xogo, based in Pittsburgh, won the Social Enterprise category and received a $100,000 cash prize. Xogo is addressing the digital divide facing people with disabilities by providing a scalable and adaptive open platform that will enable users to connect to consumer technology in ways suited to their personal needs.
Orbillion Bio and Xogo finished among the top five in the competition that started with 100,000 entrepreneurs from around the world. One hundred finalists advanced to a series of virtual pitching rounds and 25 advanced to pitch live to a panel of international judges in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“This has been an amazing experience,” said Samet Yildirim, co-founder and chief operations officer at Orbillion Bio. “We have built lots of networks, relationships and learned a lot. On top of it we also got some monetary support. This validates the tons of hours that goes into creating technology and a great impact on the world.”
“This money means so much, both from a validation perspective and because the funding is what we need to keep on growing,” said Ray Abel, CEO of Xogo.
Since launching in 2019, EWC has supported nearly 400,000 participants from 200 countries, awarded more than US$3 million in cash prizes and provided in-kind support and services valued at US$225 million.
“The creativity and ingenuity of these entrepreneurs are both inspiring and empowering as economies seek new ways of doing things following the pandemic,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “Congratulations to the winners and all who participated.”
In 2021, 100,000 Entrepreneurship World Cup registrations were received from 200 countries. One thousand startups pitched at National Finals organized and judged by local entrepreneurship organizations across six continents plus the Middle East.
The EWC is hosted by the Misk Global Forum, Global Entrepreneurship Network and The Global Education & Leadership Foundation. It is supported by global partners including One Valley, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, GAN, Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs, and the organizations that hosted the National Finals, including GEN USA.
For interviews and further inquiries please contact:
Kathryn Forrest
Media Relations, Global Entrepreneurship Network
About the Global Entrepreneurship Network
The Global Entrepreneurship Network operates a platform of projects and programs in 180+ countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering deeper cross border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create more jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth. Learn more about GEN at genglobal.org and by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About the Misk Global Forum
The Misk Global Forum (MGF) is the flagship international platform of the Misk Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic foundation established by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discover, develop and empower Saudi youth to become active participants in the future economy. Since its launch in 2016, MGF has extended Misk’s mission to young people across the globe. Through international events, research and global initiatives, MGF brings together emerging and established leaders, innovators, and creators to explore, experience and experiment with ways to meet the challenge of change. MGF focuses on three core areas across its activations: skills for the future economy; entrepreneurship and employment; and active global citizenship. Website: https://miskglobalforum.com
About The Global Education & Leadership Foundation
The Global Education & Leadership Foundation (tGELF) is a non-profit that seeks to identify and nurture leadership skills in individuals who are rooted in the values of ethics and altruism, and have a bias for action. tGELF was officially inaugurated in 2008 by the then Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh. In the last decade, tGELF’s flagship school curriculum on ethical leadership and entrepreneurship has expanded from just six schools in India to over 3000 schools across 14 countries touching more than 3 million students. tGELF’s community of future leaders and change-makers have also undertaken numerous high impact projects that have collectively impacted the lives of over 500 million people and raised over $6.38 bn dollars in commitments from governments, philanthropists, corporations and multilaterals for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Website: http://www.tgelf.org