In January 2025, Natsumi Ito, the Co-founder of Water Design Japan, took the stage at the Startup World Cup (SWC) Las Vegas regional competition, one of the world’s largest startup pitch contests.

What is the Startup World Cup (SWC)?

The Startup World Cup (SWC) is a global-scale pitch competition where the most promising startups from around the world compete. It is organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Winners of regional competitions advance to the Grand Finale in San Francisco, where the champion is awarded a $1 million investment prize.

Las Vegas Regional Competition – A Gathering of Global Startups

Held during CES 2025, the Las Vegas regional competition brought together 16 selected startups from various countries. Water Design Japan was the only company representing Japan, competing against startups from the United States, South Korea, China, Singapore, Israel, Switzerland, Italy, Colombia, and more. Each company had four minutes to pitch their innovative technology and business model.

Although we did not win the competition, it was an incredible opportunity to showcase our vision on a global stage as the sole representative from Japan. Water Design Japan remains committed to bringing cutting-edge Japanese technology to the world and will continue to take on new challenges!