Five Early-Stage Startups Compete for a €139,400 Grand Prize Package on the Product Innovation Showcase Stage
The finalists for the inaugural SBC First Pitch 2026 competition have been officially announced. On Thursday, October 1, five promising early-stage companies will take to the Product Innovation Showcase Stage at the SBC Summit, held across the Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena.
Each finalist will have just three minutes to pitch their business models, products, and growth plans to a panel of expert judges, followed by a rigorous three-minute Q&A session.
Meet the 2026 Finalists
The five innovative startups selected to compete on stage include:
- InsightPlay.ai
- Whizgen AI (whizdom.ai)
- Betsy
- Gmonitor
- Safefy
The Expert Judging Panel and Host
The competing startups will present their cases to a distinguished panel of industry leaders, investors, and technology experts:
- Robert Duboff, Director at Velo Partners
- Tom Waterhouse, Founder, CEO, and Investor at Tom Waterhouse
- Paris Smith, Founder and CEO at Defy the Odds
- Willy Joseph, Global SA Leader for Games, Betting & Gaming and Sports at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- David Williams, Partner at Discerning Capital
Returning to host the high-stakes live competition is Jesse Learmonth from BettingStartups.com.
The Grand Prize Package
The winning startup will walk away with an impressive grand prize package valued at €139,400. The comprehensive prize includes:
- Technology and data support
- An exhibition package for the SBC Summit 2027
- Dedicated media promotion and PR support
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits
- Specialized compliance and legal services
- Video production and social media support
- Professional design services
First Pitch is proudly delivered in partnership with BettingStartups.
𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗕𝗖 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁? 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗲. – https://lnkd.in/eXdEgsce
