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Startup World Cup 2026 · From San Francisco to Mauritius

Building momentum, from Mauritius

In November 2026, a Mauritian startup was among the 151 finalists of the Startup World Cup in San Francisco. We came back with a study, an atlas and a conviction: a small island can be at the forefront, provided it measures itself against the best, builds solid structures and shares what it learns.

Dr Stéphane Bach · founder of TIBOK · November 2026
  1. ≈ 32,000startups applied worldwide
  2. ≈ 200regional finals
  3. 151finalists in San Francisco
  4. 74countries represented
  5. 10African startups, including one from Mauritius
  6. 1world champion

Why this work

Four commitments to turn participation into momentum

Taking part in a global competition is not enough. What matters is what you bring back and what you do with it, for yourself and for others. This work is open, documented and open to critique: it is meant to be reused, challenged and improved.

01

Share with startups around the world

A neutral study and an atlas of the 151 finalists, open to all, with their method and sources.No startup is promoted, TIBOK included.

02

Measure ourselves against the best

Mauritius shared the stage with 74 countries. The numbers show, without indulgence, what separates a finalist from a champion.Customer proof, capital, global market.

03

Build structure and question ourselves

A startup from a small economy raises on average 20 times less than a US startup. That fact demands a different way of organizing.External capital, regional market, proof of usage.

04

Become the Indian Ocean relay

Make Mauritius the gateway to the Startup World Cup for the islands and countries of the region.A proposal, detailed below.

Explore

A study, an atlas, a story

The study

Winning the Startup World Cup

What sets the Top 10 and the champions apart since 2017: method, numbers, seven levers, a twelve-month plan.

Read the study →
The atlas

The 151 finalists

One profile per startup: business, funding rounds, maturity, AI, investment analysis and sources.

Open the atlas →
The story

TIBOK in San Francisco

From the Mauritius regional final to the Grand Finale stage, in films and pictures.

See the story →

A proposal

Mauritius, the Startup World Cup relay in the Indian Ocean

Mauritius now has its own regional final: the first edition was held on 24 September 2026, with ten finalists. The next step is to make it a regional event, open to startups from neighboring islands and countries, and connected to the investors who follow the competition.

These ideas are proposals, to be developed with the organizer, Pegasus Tech Ventures, and with Mauritian institutions and partners. They reflect only the views of their author.

  1. 01
    An Indian Ocean regional final

    Open the Mauritius final to startups from Madagascar, Réunion, Seychelles, Comoros and the East African coast.

  2. 02
    Twelve months of preparation

    Support applicants on the proof that matters to a jury of investors: paying customers, a funding signal, a global market.

  3. 03
    A platform before the final

    Standardized profiles, modeled on the atlas, that funds can browse to request meetings.

  4. 04
    A network after the final

    Follow each cohort, share its metrics, and connect the region's former finalists with mentors and investors.

  5. 05
    A co-investment fund

    Local capital that follows foreign investors, to offset the shortage of capital in a small economy.

Join the momentum

What everyone can do

Startups

  • Use the study to prepare their application.
  • Complete and correct their profile in the atlas.
  • Aim for the Indian Ocean regional final.

Investors

  • Find companies in the atlas that fit their thesis.
  • Join the jury or the regional mentor network.
  • Co-invest alongside international funds.

Institutions

  • Back the regional final with the organizer.
  • Fund applicants' preparation.
  • Make Mauritius the showcase for the region's startups.

Our conviction

Being at the forefront does not depend on a country's size, but on its ability to measure itself, to question itself and to share.