Organization · Event Organizer
Global Startup Awards
The Global Startup Awards (GSA) is an independent startup competition platform founded in 2012 in Denmark. It operates in 19 regions across 154 countries, focusing on discovering and empowering innovative entrepreneurs through competitions and community engagement.
Overview
What Global Startup Awards does
What Global Startup Awards is
The Global Startup Awards (GSA) is an independent startup competition platform founded in 2012 in Denmark. It operates in 19 regions across 154 countries, focusing on discovering and empowering innovative entrepreneurs through competitions and community engagement.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports community and event host capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Event Organizer
- Founded
- Founded in 2012
- Approximate age
- About 14 years
- Structured capabilities
- Community · Event host
- Last reviewed
- March 19, 2026
Official channels
Find Global Startup Awards elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Global Startup Awards as a community
Community overview
The Global Startup Awards (GSA) is an organization founded in 2012 in Denmark. It operates as a platform for discovering and empowering innovative entrepreneurs through global competitions, events, and community building. GSA aims to connect local startup ecosystems globally, providing substantial value to entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the startup ecosystem, including government institutions and corporations.
Community focus
GSA focuses on identifying and promoting high-growth startups and influential individuals within the startup ecosystem. It runs competitions across various regions, engaging with startups, investors, corporates, and support organizations. The organization operates in 19 regions across 154 countries and emphasizes collaboration and innovation.
Member value
Members benefit from access to a global network of startups, investors, and corporates, as well as opportunities to participate in competitions and events that elevate their visibility and growth potential.
Membership
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
- Next recorded event
- May 7, 2026
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Founders · Investors · Corporate Innovators
- Benefits
- network-access and media-exposure
- Program types
- community and other
- Selection criteria
- open
- Regions
- Global
Community activity
Events and activity
GSA hosts several events, including the Global Grand Finale, an annual event celebrating the winners from various regions, scheduled for May 7-8, 2026, in Valletta, Malta. Other events include Clusters Meet Regions on December 3-4, 2025, in Copenhagen, and Scale-Up Europe on November 12, 2025, also in Copenhagen.
Notable members
GSA has recognized several notable startups that have achieved unicorn status, including Bitpanda, Carsome, Cellink, Grab, Insider, Kry, Lalamove, Lunar, Mamaearth, Meero, Oura, Payhawk, Pleo, Revolution Precrafted, UiPath, and Voi Technology.
Capability profile
Global Startup Awards as an event host
Event focus
The Global Startup Awards (GSA) focuses on identifying and promoting high-growth startups and influential individuals within the startup ecosystem. It runs competitions across various regions, engaging with startups, investors, corporates, and support organizations. GSA operates in 19 regions across 154 countries, emphasizing collaboration and innovation.
Format narrative
GSA hosts various events, including competitions and networking opportunities, aimed at connecting local startup ecosystems globally.
Participant value
GSA provides substantial value to entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the startup ecosystem, including government institutions and corporations, by recognizing and promoting innovative startups.
Format and cadence
- Event types
- awards-ceremony and conference
- Recurrence
- annual
- Modality
- in-person
- Startups can present
- Yes
Availability
- Registration state
- Accepting
- Next recorded event
- May 7, 2026
- Next event location
- Valletta, Malta
Audience and fit
- Selection criteria
- open
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed · Series A · Growth Equity
- Audience
- Founders · Investors · Corporate Innovators
- Regions
- Global
Common questions
What to know about Global Startup Awards
Upseed classifies Global Startup Awards under the Event Organizer organization type. Its current public profile includes community and event host capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
March 19, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.