After a packed pitch competition last week at the Sydney regional final of the Startup World Cup, Roam Technologies founder Shan-Shan Wang will now represent Australia at the global finals in San Francisco this November.
The competition is run globally by Silicon Valley VC firm Pegasus Tech Ventures, a $2B fund spanning more than 100 regional events across 19+ countries. The Grand Finale takes place at the Hilton Union Square, San Francisco on 6 November. The prize: a US$1 million investment.
Startup & Angels hosted the Startup World Cup Australia 2026, powered by global recruitment company Australiance, also running Startup World Cups in Morocco and France.
180 applications. 11 founders on stage. One spot in San Francisco.
The Sydney field was the most competitive of the Australian series. Each applicant, whether they made the Top 11 or not, received written feedback from seasoned investors. The Top 11 received dedicated pitch training with seasoned investor David Kenney and Sarah-Jane Kurtini, founder of Pitch Slap Me.
The wider community was offered a personal branding session with programme lead Vinisha Rathod, based on her Briefcase Effect methodology, to help founders present with clarity on stage and beyond.
When the judges deliberated, it took under five minutes. The field was strong. The standout was clear.
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Shan-Shan Wang from Roam Technologies (roamtech.ai) was selected. Her world-first handheld oxygen device, Juno, designed for everyday use in chronic conditions, is already gaining traction in the US market. She joins Tori Fox from Arelis, the Melbourne regional winner. Two female founders in medtech, heading to San Francisco on a process built around merit and rigour.
“The process doesn’t end when someone doesn’t make the cut,” the programme team said. “Every founder who applied gets something useful back.”
The People’s Vote went to Berlin Raj of Totex Energy, reflecting Sydney’s appetite for bold climate tech (similar to Melbourne who voted for PHNXX from Wei-Chi Lee)
The full cohort included Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki (OncoRevive), Shan-Shan Wang (Roam Technologies), Berlin Raj (Totex Energy), Michael Joo (Balo), Emely Junker and Henk Kleynhans (Square by Square), Raman Singh (SupplyScope), Dr. Clyde Webster (Crest Robotics), Amit Gupta (VueMotion), Ryan Zahrai (Parachute), Dominic Lindsay (Nexobot), Rushi Vyas (What’s On! Campus).
Judging was led by Co-Captain David Kenney (Epic Execution), along with other panelists including Benjamin Chong (Founder Institute), Daniel Mircevski (Bailador Technology Investments, ASX:BTI), James Alexander (Galileo Ventures), Karen Lawson (Arcanys Ventures), Kirstin Hunter (Birchal) and Matthew Browne (Black Nova Venture Capital).
Queensland is up next
The tour concludes in Queensland on 9 July, delivered with Creative HQ and Innovate Moreton Bay. The Top 12 include Rocket Fast Drones, ProcurePro, Phantom Dynamics, GenAqua (UVSentry), Smart Drain (Urban Inventors), Hailo Solutions, Fempro Armour, ID/Ai, StatDoctor, inaam, ScreenCoach, and Fidestra
Hosted by Laura Ashmole ( Built For Our Kids), the Queensland judges panel includes David Jakic (QIC Ventures), Craig Josic (GEN Australia), Peta Ellis (Beaten Zone), Annie Lawrence (Moreton Bay Innovation), Audun Fiskerud (EnergyLab), and Pauline Fetaui (PerspectiveX).
One Queensland winner will then join Shan-Shan Wang and Tori Fox in San Francisco on 6 November.
Interested in coming along? Get your tickets for Queensland here.
It takes a village
Nights like the Sydney regional final are never possible without the sponsors who back the night: Epic Execution, Ashurst, Deel, NOAH Connect, United Airlines, Vanta, Virtu, Ingram Micro, with community giveaways from Zoho, Stripe, Startup Daily and Arcanys Ventures. United Airlines is covering flights for the Australian winners heading to San Francisco.
A special thank you to Pegasus Tech Ventures for the opportunity to be Australia’s community partner for the world’s largest pitch competition. Another special shout out to Vinisha’s outfit from Kirrikin. Kirrikin is a social enterprise to address the shortage of authentic Indigenous products!
