Startup World Cup | $1M Pitch Competition
The biggest pitch competition on the globe—The Startup World Cup— is coming to the Startup Mountain Summit! Apply to pitch today!
Startup Mountain Summit
Oct. 12th & 13th, 2026
ETSU Brinkley Center
Join us for a unique, 2-day conference for early stage startup founders hosted in the mountains.
Why attend the Summit?
The Startup Mountain Summit was designed to give early-stage startup founders the inspiration, resources, and knowledge needed to build successful ventures in Appalachia and beyond.
At the Summit, you’ll hear from some of the biggest names in entrepreneurship, attend hands-on workshops, and have the opportunity to pitch your startup in front of hundreds of founders and a panel of investors.
- 250+
- Average Attendance
- 10,000+
- Dollars in Prizes
- 15+
- States Represented
Inside the Summit experience ⬇️
Speaker Sessions + Workshops
Get expert advice from industry leaders, hear from the best in the business, and join a workshop that equips you with the tools to take your startup to the next level.
Adventure Networking
We’re throwing an Appalachian spin on networking and creating an unforgettable experience during day 1 of the conference. Connect with other founders on a ropes course, during a hike, or on a bike ride around the city (All-Access Pass Required).
After Hours Events
Join attendees and speakers at a local brewery for the Mountain Mixer or grab dinner in downtown Johnson City.
Learn from world class speakers
At the Startup Mountain Summit, you will meet the speakers, connect with them during networking, and have opportunities to ask the questions you want to help you in your ventures. Past speakers at the Startup Mountain Summit:
Rob Walling
Founder of Tiny Seed, Author, Investor
Noah Kagan
CEO of AppSumo, Author, Influencer
Asia Orangio
Founder & CEO of DemandMaven
Brad Feld
CoFounder of Tech Stars, Author, Partner at Foundry
Amanda Goetz
2x Founder, 5x CMO, Author
Guy Yalif
Founder, Co-Founder, & Chief Evangelist at Webflow
Anthony Pierri
Co-Founder of Fletch PMM, Speaker
Katie Taylor
CEO & Co-Founder of Narratize
Get inspired &
connected
The Startup Mountain Summit is a grass-roots conference focused on bringing founders together from across the southeast. This is more than just a Summit, it’s a community of founders, investors, and ecosystem builders that help each other succeed. Over the course of three days, you’ll add hundreds of valuable connections to your network and learn new strategies to grow your startup.
$25
Startup World Cup Event Pass
Oct. 12th (7pm)
- Regional Startup World Cup Event
- DOES NOT include access to the Startup Mountain Summit
$200
All Access Summit Pass
Oct. 12-13th (All Day)
- 2-Day Summit Admission
- Regional Startup World Cup Event
- Adventure Networking Included
- Startup Directory Access
- Summit Video Library w/ 15+ Past Speaker and Workshop Sessions
$150
Summit Pass
Oct. 12-13th (All Day)
- 2-Day Summit Admission
- Regional Startup World Cup Event
Bringing the whole team? Contact Us for special pricing.
2025 recap video
What founders are saying
The Startup Mountain Summit is quickly becoming one of the biggest startup conferences in the Southeast.
Meeting other founders that are have been through the same challenges I’m facing always helps in ways I never knew were possible. I can’t wait to meet more startups!
Co-Founder, Personality Pool
Learning from this lineup of speakers is going to be extremely helpful. We are looking forward to learning from their experience and advice on what we can be doing to grow FytFeed.
Co-Founder, FytFeed
Sponsor
Startup Mountain
The Startup Community in the Southeast is an untapped resource for your company. Gain access to a community of entrepreneurs and start building a strong relationship today.
