Following the Startup World Cup: Moldova competition organized by Startup Moldova in August, which hosted over 400 participants, 15 investors in jury panel, and 14 pitching startups (pre-selected from over 40 applicants),  Nodeshift and Langly were selected to represent Moldova on the globe stage in the USA. 

Our startups competed against 84 other teams – finalists of regional competitions from 100+ regions – for a chance for a chance to win a $1 million prize. Despite fierce competition, our teams showcased remarkable stage presence and were marked as a highlight of the event. 

Mihai Marcuta, co-founder of Nodeshift, shared his thoughts on the experience: “All of the startups were immensely impressive. Thank you once again for the opportunity to participate; we learned a lot from other companies and met founders who are pushing the boundaries in fields ranging from cancer research to space exploration. I am eagerly looking forward to what the future holds.”

We returned home with a wealth of inspiration, lasting friendships with founders from startups around the globe, and a valuable network of connections among investors and VCs, even though we didn’t win the final award.

This year’s global champion is EarthGrid, who presented their patented plasma tunnel-boring technology to enable the U.S. and other countries to dig tunnels and excavate at a fraction of the cost, and time.

We are proud that Moldova has made its mark as a startup-driven country for the first time at one of the world’s largest global pitching competitions. 

We are grateful to Pegasus Tech Ventures, the organizer of the Startup World Cup and all our strategic partners for their support and especially Anis Uzzaman, CEO Pegasus Tech Ventures, Chairman Startup World Cup, Tony Wheeler, Founder & CEO ImagineX Ventures, Bill Reichert, Partner Pegasus Tech Ventures, and Justin Jackson, Partner Pegasus Tech Ventures for helping us bring Moldova to the global startup stage.