Two Australian tech startups, AI-powered M&A platform Deeligence and logistics optimiser Adiona, pitched in the heart of Silicon Valley earlier this month, competing for the US$1 million investment prize at the Startup World Cup 2025 Grand Finale.
The companies were part of a unique, combined Franco-Australian delegation led by the Sydney-founded global network Startup&Angels, marking the first time the two nations officially joined forces at the event.
While the $1M prize ultimately went to US battery tech company Coreshell, the presence of the Australian finalists highlights a concerted push to connect the "down under" tech ecosystem with global investors.
The Tech from Down Under
The two startups represented the winners of Australia's regional finals, which Startup&Angels organised earlier this year in Melbourne and Sydney. The regional competitions were competitive, drawing more than 200 applications nationwide, with 10 startups pitching in each city to a jury of investors, VCs, and business angels.
Deeligence (Melbourne): Co-founded by Justin Hansky & Elena Tsalanidis, the company is an "award winning Al collaboration platform for M&A lawyers halving the time it takes to deliver a due diligence project."
Adiona (Sydney): Co-founded by Richard Savoie & Quang Huynh, Adiona operates in the logistics space. The company provides "Al delivery optimisation solutions" that "power millions of efficient deliveries for some of the world's biggest brands" and aim to "enable their transition to electric and autonomous logistics."
Elena Tsalanidis, Co-founder of Deeligence
Silicon Valley Bootcamp
Winning the local pitch was just the first step. The Australian winners, along with their French counterparts from Paris and Aix-en-Provence, were ushered into a week-long Silicon Valley immersion program from October 13-18.
This accelerator program, curated by Startup&Angels and "powered by Epic Execution", was designed to prep the founders for the high-stakes environment of the Grand Finale.
Hosted at the Alliance Française of San Francisco, the workshops focused on refining pitches, exploring U.S. market strategies, and building investor connections. Partners for the immersion week included David Kenney from EPIC Execution, La French Tech SF, Business France, and U.S. immigration law firm Jomana Abdallah. A "Pre-Startup World Cup Networking Party," co-hosted with Investment NSW in San Francisco, also aimed to spark cross-border connections.
The Main Event
The Grand Finale itself, organised by Pegasus Tech Ventures, was a massive event, pulling in over 3,000 attendees and more than 300 Silicon Valley investors to the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
For Startup&Angels, the event is a capstone on its mission. Founded in Sydney in 2016 by Léo DENES, the organisation has grown from a local initiative to a global network that has hosted over 150 events in more than 20 countries, connecting early-stage startups with VCs and angels.
With the Australian startups "standing proudly alongside their international peers", Startup&Angels is framing the 2025 event as a "major milestone". The network plans to expand its accelerator and Startup World Cup programs in 2026, with new regional competitions planned across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
While Adiona and Deeligence made their pitch, the 2025 competition was a fierce international affair. The final winners were:
Coreshell (USA): Battery technology with encapsulated silicon anodes.
Intuition Robotics (Israel): An AI-powered empathetic companion for seniors.
BuuPass (Kenya): A digital platform for intercity transport management and ticketing in Africa.