Startup World Cup

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2025 HAE STARTUP WORLD CUP REGIONAL

The 2025 Startup World Cup Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE) Regional took place on September 12th, 2025 in Boston, MA at Harvard Medical School in The Martin Conference Center.

On September 12, Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE) twelve Harvard alumni finalists took the stage at the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Regional Startup World Cup - a showcase of ambition, ideas, and momentum.

The evening featured an exclusive fireside chat with Harvard alum Mark Penn (renowned strategist, author of Microtrends, Chairman & CEO of Stagwell) joined by his classmate Bill Reichert (legendary Silicon Valley investor, Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures). Together, they unpacked hard-earned lessons, candid advice, and what founders need to win in today’s market.

^{From left to right: Ady Beitler (behind), Dovran Amanov, Pankaj Agarwal, Jeffrey McChesney, Emilie Faure, Pete Blackshaw, Daniel Ahn, Kidist Tesfaye, Regina Ryan, Pablo Lapuerta, James Sutherland}

This inaugural competition underscored HAE’s commitment to opening real doors for alumni builders. We also debuted a new partnership with Jaylen Brown's 7uice Foundation, welcoming young entrepreneurs into the room to see—up close—what it takes to build.

The evening beloged to the winners: Taghive founder Pankaj Agarwal earned Second Runner-Up; Nilus founder Ady Beitler took Third Runner-Up; and Autonomo founder James Sutherland captured First Place - advancing to the 2025 Startup World Cup Finale in San Francisco, where he competed for the $1M grand prize from. Pegasus Tech Ventures.

The night wrapped not with a final slide, but with a fantastic after-party - where founders, investors, alumni, and partners stayed late, made real connections, and celebrated what comes next. The kind of ending that signals this wasn’t just a competition—it was the start of something bigger.

^{James Sutherland, Autonomo}

^{First Place}

^{Ady Beitler, Nilus}

^{First Runner-up}

^{Pankaj Agarwal, Taghive}

^{Second Runner-up}