OpenAI Cybersecurity Grant $100K--Pitch Black €100K--Mars Food $250M Fund

Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Pitch Competitions, Awards, Summits, grants PLUS new VC Funds.

Hey look, I reformatted the list; yeah for the nerdy, mundane things that excite me!

Reminder - lots of opportunities for CPG - pitch to Walmart, Target, Hy-Vee, Alibaba…. Make sure you’re checking the Full List so you don’t miss anything.

~Diane

This newsletter is now brought to you by…

💪 The Biggies

Newly Added: Grants, Pitch, Awards, Summits

Find the Full List of Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards here.

💰 10th Annual FinTech & Banking Awards 2025 – Recognition
Australia; FinTech | July 10 | Apply Here

🎤 2025 RISE Up Harlingen Business Pitch Competition – $30,000
Texas; Early-stage | July 15 | Apply Here

🎤 Pitch Black – €100,000 investment + prizes
Malta; Pre-Seed or Seed | July 17 | Apply Here

🎤 XTC AI Energy Innovation Startup Showcase – Pitch at Playground Global
Sustainable energy; AI; Data center; chips | July 30 | Apply Here

🎤 Music Tech Startup Competition – Pitch at Music Techtonics conference
Music Tech | Aug 8 | Apply Here

🎤 The Image Pitch – €150,000 in prizes
Ireland; All tech | Aug 11 | Apply Here

🤝 Security Exhibition & Conference – Keynotes; Suppliers and End Users
Security Tech; AI; AV | Aug 26 | Apply Here

💰 Colorado Advanced Industries Retention Grant – $250,000
Colorado; Early-stage | Aug 28 | Apply Here

🤝 Sustainability LIVE – 2,000+ Attendees
Europe; ESG; Sustainability; Supply Chain | Sept 8 | Apply Here

🎤 eosera Foundation Pitch Competition 2025 – $30,000
US; Women-founded | Sept 9 | Apply Here

🎤 Women’s Health Week Innovation Showcase – Pitch to investors
Europe; Med Device; CPG; Consumer Tech | Sept 19 | Apply Here

💰 OpenAI Cybersecurity Grant Program – $100,000
AI; Privacy; Agentic security | Sept 30 (rolling applications) | Apply Here

Closing Soon: Grants, Pitch, Awards, Summits

🤝 RAISE Summit – 5,000+ attendees
AI | July 7 | Apply Here

🤝 Startupfest – Deep dives; Fireside chats
All startups | July 8 | Apply Here

🎤 Start Garden 100 – $20,000
All tech | July 8 | Apply Here

🚀 AWS Gen AI Accelerator – $1M in AWS credits
Early-stage | July 10 | Apply Here

🎤 All Capital Elevator Pitch 2.0 – INR 5 Crore investment
India; Early-stage | July 10 | Apply Here

💰 Genesys MedTech Grant – $20,000
Australia; MedTech | July 11 | Apply Here

🧠 Pier71 Smart Port Challenge 2025 – 10-Week Program
Maritime Tech; NextGen Ports; Smart Shipping; AI | July 11 | Apply Here

💰 Planters Bank See Grant Competition – $10,000
Kentucky; Tennessee; all businesses | July 11 | Apply Here

🎤 Texas AI Challenge – $100,000 investment
Texas; AI; MVP-Seed | July 11 | Apply Here

💰 10th Annual FinTech & Banking Awards 2025 – Recognition
Australia; FinTech | July 10 | Apply Here

Newly Raised: VC Funds

Find the Full List of New VC Funds here.

💸 Celero Ventures – €20M
Europe; Early-stage; software | Learn More

💸 Construct Capital – $300M
Early-stage; Manufacturing; Transportation; Defense Tech | Learn More

💸 Mars Sustainability Investment Fund – $250M
Supply chain; AgTech; Materials; Packaging | Learn More

💸 Catalio Capital Management – $400M
Healthcare; BioTech | Learn More

💸 Halogen Ventures – $30M
FamTech; EdTech; Child services | Learn More

😃  One Hour Pitch Deck: Bootstrapped founder-friendly services to get you a big step forward in your journey. Deck upgrades, grant content, or get the same due diligence reports VC’s use when screening your deck. Book a 15-min clarity call at onehourpitchdeck.com to learn more about positioning your startup for funding.

Let me know if you apply to any of these opportunities, and especially when you WIN!

Want me to feature your pitch competition, grant, or event? Reply to this email!

📣 Who am I? Your biggest cheerleader. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: I receive no compensation for promoting any of these events. While I try to be as accurate as possible when posting requirements such as deadlines, it’s your responsibility to confirm all requirements.