Several competitions accept a project at the idea stage: the Prix Pépite for students, the Prix Moovjee for 18 to 30-year-olds, EIT Jumpstarter for an idea that comes out of science (depending on a team member's nationality), the Entrepreneurship World Cup, and programmes such as Antler and Entrepreneurs First, which recruit people before they even have an idea. Abroad, public programmes recruit foreign startups, French ones included: K-Startup Grand Challenge in Korea, Start-Up Chile, Rising Up in Spain. All 31 verified competitions and programmes are in our dataset.
At the idea stage
| Programme | Who it's for | What you win (published) |
|---|---|---|
| i-Lab innovation competition | Projects to found an innovative technology company, and companies less than two years old | Grant; eligible expenses up to €1M |
| Prix Pépite | Students and recent graduates with student-entrepreneur status | — |
| Prix Moovjee | Young entrepreneurs and project founders aged 18 to 30 | Entrepreneur category: Grand Prix €10,000, Coup de cœur €5,000, 12 months of mentoring |
| French Tech Tremplin | Entrepreneurs from backgrounds under-represented in tech | Grant and 12 months of incubation |
| STATION F: Fighters Program | Entrepreneurs from under-represented backgrounds, working full time on their project, even at the idea stage | Free: 1 month of preparation, then 6 months on campus |
| K-Startup Grand Challenge | Foreign startups and startup projects | Participation grants and prizes in won; support to set up a Korean entity |
| EIT Jumpstarter | Founders with an idea that comes out of science, with at least one team member holding the nationality of an eligible country (France: outermost regions only) | Prizes of €10,000, €5,000 and €3,000 per theme; over €240,000 in total |
| Entrepreneurship World Cup | Startups at every stage, including the idea stage | $1M in equity-free prizes, shared among 12 winners |
| Hult Prize | Students | $1M in seed funding for the winning team |
| Antler: residency | Future founders, from idea to pre-seed, solo or without a co-founder | — |
| Entrepreneurs First | People with no project, no co-founder or an early idea | — |
In France: competitions and calls for applications
- i-Lab competition (Ministry of Higher Education and Bpifrance): the major national competition for founding an innovative technology company. The grant funds R&D, with eligible expenses up to €1M.bpifrance.fr
- Prix Pépite: for students and recent graduates with student-entrepreneur status. The 2026 edition took applications from 11 May to 12 June.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr
- Prix Moovjee: for 18 to 30-year-olds, with a €10,000 Grand Prix and 12 months of mentoring in the Entrepreneur category.
- French Tech Tremplin: a grant and 12 months of incubation for entrepreneurs from backgrounds under-represented in tech.
- Créatrices d'Avenir in Île-de-France, Talents BGE for entrepreneurs already in business.
- Incubation: Paris&Co opens applications once a year. STATION F's Fighters Program is free and accepts projects at the idea stage.
- VivaTech Startup Challenges: a large corporation or a public partner sets out a need, and the startups that answer it come and pitch at the show.
Abroad: programmes open to French startups
Several countries pay to attract foreign startups: flights, offices, help setting up a subsidiary, sometimes a grant.
- K-Startup Grand Challenge (South Korea): run by the Korean Ministry of SMEs, the programme recruits foreign startups every year, including projects not yet incorporated. It pays participation grants and prizes, and helps you set up a Korean company. The 2026 edition closed on 17 June.ksgc.global Embassies can recommend candidates.
- Start-Up Chile: the first public accelerator, open to all nationalities, funds startups without taking equity.
- Rising Up in Spain: free support and visa assistance to set up in Spain, open throughout 2026 for up to 50 participants.
- Garage+ (Taiwan): two sessions a year to meet Taiwanese manufacturers.
- European Union: EIT Jumpstarter for an idea that comes out of science (a €10,000 prize for the winner of each theme), if a team member holds the nationality of an eligible country: mainland France is not one, its outermost regions are, EIC Accelerator for a near-market innovation (a grant of under €2.5M and up to €10M in equity).
The major pitch competitions
Slush 100 (Helsinki) gives €500,000 to the winner without taking equity. The Entrepreneurship World Cup shares $1M among 12 winners, idea stage included. Startup World Cup runs regional finals before a final in San Francisco. TechCrunch Startup Battlefield selects 200 startups to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt.
Paris also welcomes foreign founders
In 2015, the City of Paris trialled the French Tech Ticket: a programme to attract foreign entrepreneurs, with a €12,500 prize for six months, a place in an incubator and a fast-track residence permit procedure.bpifrance.fr Today, the French Tech Visa for Founders grants a 4-year residence permit to non-EU founders selected by a partner incubator.
Preparing your application
- A 2-minute video and a pitch deck are often enough for the first round (as with the K-Startup Grand Challenge).
- A company isn't always required at the start, but it becomes necessary to receive a grant or bring in an investor. Most often it's an SAS: see which company to choose to raise funds.
- Dates change every year: the dataset gives the calendar of the latest edition observed, so check the official page before applying.
To fund what comes next: grants, loans and investors.
Frequently asked questions
Can you enter a competition without having set up your company?
Yes, for several of them: Prix Pépite, Prix Moovjee (project founder category), EIT Jumpstarter, the Entrepreneurship World Cup and the K-Startup Grand Challenge accept projects not yet registered. You will need to set up the company to receive a grant.
Can a French startup take part in a Korean or Chilean programme?
Yes. The K-Startup Grand Challenge and Start-Up Chile recruit foreign startups; the Korean programme even helps you set up a company in Korea.
Do competitions take a share of your capital?
Public competitions and most prizes pay out money without taking equity (Slush 100, Entrepreneurship World Cup, EIT Jumpstarter). Private accelerators such as Y Combinator or Antler invest in exchange for shares: read the terms before applying.
Written by Razvan Toma, founder of LegalRapide. How we check our figures · LinkedIn