Terms and Conditions

This competition is being run by KPMG LLP, in conjunction with KPMG International, a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales with company number 12474966. The registered office of KPMG International is at 15 Canada Square, London, E14 5GL . All references to ‘KPMG’, ‘we’ and ‘our’ within these Terms and Conditions shall mean KPMG International and KPMG LLP unless clearly indicated otherwise

This Competition is aimed at businesses typically in the start-up and scale up phase and which have innovative technologies, robust business models, the ability to demonstrate traction in their activities and the potential for global scale.

For the purposes of competition, applicants should:

Be a registered company (including partnerships and equivalent for-profit corporate structures) in one of the following countries:

• Austria
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Colombia
• East Africa
• Estonia
• Finland
• Germany
• Ghana
• Ireland
• Japan
• Kenya
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Netherlands
• Philippines
• Portugal
• Rwanda
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• Sweden
• Tanzania
• Turkey
• Uganda
• UK
• US
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Have been operating for 7 years or less (in current form)
• Revenue generating between USD $1-10m; or have raised at least $500,000 in equity
• Either a pure technology, tech-driven or a tech-enabled business
• Not majority owned by a large corporate

You must be available to pitch your entry at:

• A National Competition to be held between [May and August] 2025 (successful entrants will be informed of the dates for their national competitions); and
• At the global finals in November (if selected as a national winner).

All entrants entering the competition on behalf of a company must:

• Be residents of the country in whose national heat they apply to participate; and
• Be aged 18 or over. 

All valid applications will be assessed once the application stage closes. Applications will be collated and assessed by KPMG professionals under three categories with equal weighting to each. The categories are; innovation and disruption, market potential, and traction and momentum.

Applicants who are successful after this initial assessment and subject to KPMG screening checks will be invited to pitch at the National Competition where they will be judged by a panel of industry experts made up from within KPMG and outside of KPMG. Some countries will have Regional Competitions in addition to a National Final.

All applications will be scored under five categories with equal weighting to each. The categories are; innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, company growth potential, customer focussed and risk awareness. The decisions of the industry expert panels will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. 

One winning entry from each National Competition will win the chance to pitch at the Final to be held in November where the overall winning entry will be announced.

Written feedback will be provided to the applicants in relation to their scores awarded at the country competitions and the Final.

There are no charges for entering the Competition. Applicants will be responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary technology and internet access to participate in all virtual/online aspects of the competition. 

Winners of the Competition agree that KPMG may use their name and image, and the name and branding of the company that they are entering, to announce the winner of the Competition and for any other reasonable and related promotional and marketing purposes.

Participants may announce their participation in the Competition and refer to KPMG when doing so subject to KPMG policies including trademark requirements and restrictions. No other use of KPMG's name, logos, trademarks or other intellectual property (whether registered or not) is permitted without the express written permission of KPMG and no licence for the use of KPMG intellectual property is granted by these terms and conditions or by entry into the Competition. KPMG may at any time, in its sole discretion, require Participants to remove references to KPMG or the Competition. 

Public health and/or travel restrictions may mean that KPMG is required to change the timings or structure of the competition at short notice. For example, it may be necessary to conduct the Final virtually or to delay the Final if travel to Lisbon is not feasible for some or all participants.

If entrants are unable to attend the Final due to local travel restrictions, vaccination status, or other public health related reasons KPMG will make reasonable efforts to facilitate their involvement in a virtual way but this may not be possible and all decisions that KPMG takes with regard to the operation and timings of the competition shall be final.