Deel’s global startup competition is giving away up to S$19M & you’ve got until May 2 to apply

[This is a sponsored article with Deel.]

If you have a great startup idea that is gaining traction and ready to scale up, here’s your sign to seize that opportunity. 

Deel’s The Pitch, a global startup competition with up to US$15 million (S$19.1 million) in total funding on the line, is closing applications for its APAC regional round soon. 

It is set to be held in Singapore on May 12, 2026, but don’t wait because applications close on May 2.

And if you’re thinking you don’t have time, you probably do. Applications can be completed in under five minutes, and the best part? It’s completely free. Yes, really.

A global stage for early-stage founders

The Pitch is an international tournament designed to find and fund the world’s most promising seed-stage startups, regardless of where they’re based.

The whole premise is simple: your idea should compete on merit, not on your geography, your network, or your ability to win over the right VCs.

To make that happen, Deel is hosting regional competitions across seven global hubs, including Singapore, New York, and Berlin, with over 20,000 startups expected to participate worldwide. 

The competition is backed by serious names too, presented by J.P. Morgan with partners including a16z, Google, Stripe, and Ribbit Ventures.

Here’s how it works: founders apply online, and shortlisted teams will pitch live at a regional final in their respective locations. From there, up to 100 startups will receive US$50,000 (S$64,000) in Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) investment each, and progress to the global stage on May 18-19, with the location yet to be announced.

Grand finale winners, up to 10 startups, will receive a US$1 million (S$1.2 million) SAFE investment each to scale their visions.

Beyond the prize money, all participants gain access to networking opportunities and exposure to some of the world’s top-tier investors—not a bad upside even if you don’t take the top spot.

Who can apply?

If the prize pool has your attention but the eligibility criteria has you hesitating, don’t fret. The bar to entry is intentionally wide. 

The Pitch is open to pre-seed, seed, and Series A startups from anywhere in the world, as long as they have full-time founders, a registered legal entity, and are building a scalable product or service.

That said, don’t mistake accessible for easy. 

Deel says the final selection rate will be just 0.05%, making it more selective than many of the world’s top accelerators. 

Applications are assessed on product strength, market opportunity, team capability, traction metrics, and scalability potential, with both AI analysis and human expert review to keep things fair.

Last call for S’pore & APAC founders

For startup founders, opportunities like this don’t come around often, particularly ones that are open globally and free to enter. 

Although regional finals are already underway globally, there’s still time to throw your hat in the ring for the Singapore leg. 

Check out The Pitch’s website here to apply—it’ll take you less than five minutes.

Featured Image Credit: Deel