Top 25 Startup Competitions for AI Startups in North America in 2025: A Detailed Guide
North America continues to be a hub for AI innovation with numerous competitions and programs that foster growth and offer significant benefits for budding AI startups.
Here's a curated list of the Top 25 Startup Competitions for AI Startups in North America in 2025, complete with locations, prizes, and focus areas.
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1. AWS x NVIDIA AI Pitch Competition
When: To be announced
Where: Austin, Texas
Prizes/Benefits: Networking with AI founders and VCs, connecting with AWS resources, and learning about funding opportunities. Only 6 startups get to pitch.
Focus: AI startups
2. NSF SBIR Program
When: Ongoing throughout 2025
Where: Online
Prizes/Benefits: Funding for R&D, support for commercialization.
Focus: Science and technology startups, including AI.
3. AI for Good Global Summit (North America Finalists)
When: May 2025 (expected)
Where: Virtual Event
Prizes/Benefits: Spot at the Global Grand Finale, global scaling support, and opportunities to connect with international organizations, tech giants, and investors.
Focus: AI for Social Good
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4. Collision Conference PITCH Competition
When: June 2025
Where: Toronto, Canada
Prizes/Benefits: Access to investor meetings, mentor hours, and showcase opportunities. No cash prizes.
Focus: Broad range of tech, including food tech, generative AI, health tech, and cleantech.
5. AI Grant
When: Ongoing
Where: San Francisco, California
Prizes/Benefits: $250,000 investment, Azure credits, mentorship, and a demo day.
Focus: Seed-stage AI startups.
6. Imagine AI Live
When: March 2025
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
Prizes/Benefits: Networking, live demos, hands-on experience, and insights from AI enterprise leaders.
Focus: Applied AI
7. xTech Live Pitch Competition at CES
When: January 2025
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
Prizes/Benefits: Up to 10 winners receiving $10,000 each and showcasing opportunity to the Department of Defense.
Focus: AI, IoT/Sensors, Robotics
8. HBS New Venture Competition (Western Regional)
When: March 2025
Where: San Francisco, California
Prizes/Benefits: Networking with investors and other founders, exposure to potential investment.
Focus: Early stage tech startups including AI
9. IBM for Startups
When: Ongoing
Where: Online
Prizes/Benefits: Cloud credits, technical support, mentorship, and investor connections.
Focus: Broad range of tech, including AI
10. NVIDIA Inception
When: Ongoing
Where: Global (Online & In-person events)
Prizes/Benefits: Access to GPU technology, deep learning tools, discounts on hardware/software, technical resources, and investor connections.
Focus: AI, data science, and HPC startups.
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11. TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield
When: September 2025
Where: San Francisco, California
Prizes/Benefits: $100,000 equity-free prize, media exposure, and networking with top investors.
Focus: Broad tech startups including AI
12. Google AI Impact Challenge
When: Applications open in early 2025
Where: Global with a North American focus
Prizes/Benefits: Grants, mentoring from Google AI experts, partnership opportunities.
Focus: AI for social impact, like health, security, and improving inequality
13. MassChallenge
When: Applications open in February 2025
Where: Austin, Boston, and Mexico City
Prizes/Benefits: Mentorship, $1M in equity-free prizes, and co-working space.
Focus: All innovative startups including AI
14. Intel AI Builders
When: Ongoing
Where: Online
Prizes/Benefits: Access to Intel's resources, marketing support, and invitation to exclusive events.
Focus: AI startups focused on enterprise solutions
15. Cogo Labs Data Science Bootcamp
When: Multiple sessions throughout 2025
Where: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Prizes/Benefits: Hands-on training, mentorship, potential job offers, and prizes.
Focus: AI and data science
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16. Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub
When: Ongoing
Where: Online
Prizes/Benefits: $150,000 in Azure credits, Microsoft 365 package, GitHub Enterprise, and power platform credits.
Focus: All innovative tech startups including AI
17. Y Combinator
When: Winter and Summer batches
Where: Mountain View, California
Prizes/Benefits: $500,000 investment, mentorship, networking, and demo day.
Focus: All startups, including AI
18. 500 Global (500 Startups)
When: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Where: Miami, Florida
Prizes/Benefits: Coaching, $150,000 seed investment, and access to network.
Focus: Broad tech startups including AI
19. Ben Franklin Technology Partners BIG IDEA Contest
When: Applications in Spring 2025
Where: Pennsylvania
Prizes/Benefits: $50,000 in seed funding, mentorship, and investor introductions.
Focus: Innovative tech startups including AI
20. Plug and Play Tech Center
When: Ongoing applications
Where: Silicon Valley, California
Prizes/Benefits: Mentorship, $25,000 equity-free funding, and networking.
Focus: All innovative startups including AI
21. AI and the Future of Work Startup Competition
When: Annually in September
Where: Online
Prizes/Benefits: $25,000 cash award, mentorship, and connections with top tech firms.
Focus: AI Enhancing Workplace Productivity
22. OpenAI Startup Fund
When: Applications Year-round
Where: Global, with a focus in the US
Prizes/Benefits: $100M fund for AI startups, access to OpenAI models and infrastructure.
Focus: Startups working on substantial societal impacts
23. Techstars Future of AI
When: Annual Program
Where: Multiple locations, including New York
Prizes/Benefits: $120,000 funding, mentorship, and Demo Day.
Focus: AI-powered startups across industries
24. MIT Solve Global Challenges
When: Released in Summer 2025
Where: Online
Prizes/Benefits: Grants up to $1.5M, mentorship, and access to the MIT network.
Focus: Solving world’s pressing problems with AI
25. Oracle for Startups
When: Ongoing
Where: Global
Prizes/Benefits: Cloud credit, mentoring, networking, and go-to-market support.
Focus: Broad range of tech startups including AI
These competitions and programs are instrumental in driving innovation and success in the AI startup ecosystem in North America. Participating in these opportunities can provide startups with the essential support and recognition they need to navigate the competitive tech landscape.
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FAQ
Q: What is the AWS x NVIDIA AI Pitch Competition?
A: The AWS x NVIDIA AI Pitch Competition is a competition where selected AI startups from North America pitch to leading AI venture capitalists. Learn more about AWS x NVIDIA AI Pitch Competition.
Q: What is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program?
A: The NSF SBIR Program is a grant program for small businesses to conduct research and development, offering funding and support for commercialization. Discover the NSF SBIR Program.
Q: What is the AI for Good Global Summit?
A: The AI for Good Global Summit focuses on AI solutions for achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, featuring regional finals in North America. Read about the AI for Good Global Summit.
Q: What is the Collision Conference PITCH Competition?
A: The Collision Conference PITCH Competition is part of the larger Collision tech conference in Toronto, Canada, and provides access to investor meetings and showcase opportunities. Learn more about the Collision Conference PITCH Competition.
Q: What is AI Grant?
A: AI Grant is an accelerator program for early-stage AI startups, providing $250,000 investment, Azure credits, mentorship, and a demo day. Discover AI Grant.
Q: What is Imagine AI Live?
A: Imagine AI Live is an immersive conference in Las Vegas that focuses on applying AI in various business sectors, offering networking, live demos, and insights from AI enterprise leaders. Explore Imagine AI Live.
Q: What is the xTech Live Pitch Competition at CES?
A: The xTech Live Pitch Competition at CES is for small to medium businesses with innovations in AI, IoT/Sensors, or Robotics, offering up to $10,000 and showcasing opportunities to the Department of Defense. Read about the xTech Live Pitch Competition at CES.
Q: What is the HBS New Venture Competition?
A: The HBS New Venture Competition is for early-stage startups founded by HBS, Harvard, or MIT alumni, providing networking opportunities with investors and other founders. Learn about the HBS New Venture Competition.
Q: What is IBM for Startups?
A: The IBM for Startups program provides startups with access to IBM's technologies, resources, and network, including AI tools like WatsonX. Discover IBM for Startups.
Q: What is NVIDIA Inception?
A: NVIDIA Inception is a global startup program focusing on AI, data science, and high-performance computing, offering access to GPU technology, deep learning tools, and investor connections. Read about NVIDIA Inception.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
