The 25th Startup World Cup Championship took place in the Maldives

Startup World Cup Championship 2025: A Global Celebration of Innovation, Youth, and Impact
Hundreds of the world’s brightest minds unite in the Maldives for the 25th Anniversary of the Championship 

The Startup World Cup Championship 2025, held from July 7–15, 2025, as part of Global Business Week, marked a defining moment in the history of global entrepreneurship. Hosted on the pristine islands of the Maldives, this 25th-anniversary edition brought together finalists from 35+ countries, ranging in age from 6 to 50, to present their boldest business ideas and innovative solutions on a world stage.

This year’s Championship was more than a competition — it was a festival of global talent, generational collaboration, and visionary leadership.

 🌍 A Truly Global Event

For over two decades, the Startup World Cup Championship (SWCC) has empowered children, teens, youth, and adults to think like entrepreneurs and act like changemakers. The 2025 edition gathered national champions from local Startup World Cup Leagues across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, making it the most globally inclusive edition to date. 

Participants represented a wide range of sectors — from green energy, space tech, digital education, to healthcare, fashion innovation, and robotics — showcasing the creativity and diversity of the global startup ecosystem.

 

 👨‍👩‍👧 Four Age Leagues — One Entrepreneurial Spirit

The Championship featured four distinct leagues:

• Children's League (6–12 y.o.)
• Teenagers League (13–17 y.o.)
• Youth League (18–25 y.o.)
• Adult League (26+ y.o.)

Each league was judged by an international panel of experts, including venture capitalists, business mentors, academic leaders, and corporate executives. Projects were evaluated based on innovation, scalability, social impact, presentation quality, and entrepreneurial thinking.

 

“We saw ideas that could truly change the world — and they’re coming from 10-year-olds and 20-year-olds alike,” said Ely Torres, co-founder of Froggin, Mexico. “This is the future of human capital.”