Portugal’s Granter secured the top spot at Web Summit 2025’s PITCH competition, standing out with its AI-driven platform that simplifies how companies discover and apply for grants. The event saw record participation, highlighting global momentum in AI, innovation, and startup growth.
MALAYSIA, 14 NOVEMBER 2025 – Portugal-based Granter clinched the top prize at the Web Summit 2025 PITCH competition, emerging as the overall winner from a field of 2,725 startups. Of these, only 105 advanced to the three-day contest, where Granter ultimately impressed judges with its AI-powered grant assistant designed to help businesses quickly identify funding opportunities, check eligibility, and craft high-quality applications.
“We help companies find and apply for grants with AI. And we do it well,” said CEO Bernardo Seixas before delivering the final pitch. When asked what he wanted the world to remember if Granter took home the trophy, he replied, “We’re a Portuguese team, and we want to become the next Portuguese unicorn.”
Within the Lisbon startup community, the founders are fondly known as “the Bernardos” since Seixas, his co-founder, and their first hire all share the same first name. Looking ahead, Seixas shared the company’s bold expansion plans: operating in at least half of Europe next year and growing the team significantly. He added that meeting the Vice President of the European Commission and watching his engineers interact with global customers were among the highlights of this year’s event.
Nigeria’s VarsityScape and the UK’s SegmentStream finished as runners-up. VarsityScape leverages AI to improve management of online academies, while SegmentStream uses AI to help brands measure campaign performance and identify high-value customers.
PITCH continues to serve as a major launchpad for early-stage companies, offering winners global visibility and investor credibility. Previous champions include Portugal’s Intuitivo, which digitises school assessments, and Brazil’s Inspira, an AI-driven legal tech company.
Web Summit 2025 recorded its highest attendance to date, drawing 71,386 participants from 157 countries. Investor presence surged to 1,857 — a 74% jump from last year — underscoring the event’s influence on global tech investment. A total of 2,725 startups exhibited, with AI and machine learning emerging as dominant sectors.
This year also introduced China Summit, a new track aimed at strengthening global discussions on collaboration and innovation. With over 260 international delegations, Web Summit has further solidified its role as a global hub for partnerships shaping the future of technology.
Speakers included Anton Osika of Lovable; Toto Wolff of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One; tennis icon Maria Sharapova; Bluesky COO Rose Wang; Meta CMO Alex Schultz; and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. The event also saw viral creator Max Klymenko bring “The Career Ladder” live to attendees, while Unitree Robotics’ humanoid robots wowed crowds with choreographed dance routines.
