Hello Tomorrow Challenge, a EUR 200K equity prize, not guaranteed
The Hello Tomorrow Challenge advertises a €200,000 equity investment as its Grand Prize. Its Terms and Conditions do not promise one. Applications close on 30 November at 23:59 CET.
Hello Tomorrow, the deep tech organisation behind the Challenge, says applying costs nothing and that it takes no stake. The Challenge page names one investment: €200,000 from its sister fund, Deepbright Ventures, for the Grand Winner, "on the terms set out in the Terms & Conditions".
We read those terms. They do not contain the €200,000 figure or the name Deepbright. They say one or more winners "may, at the sole discretion of the relevant investor(s), be offered an investment opportunity", that the amount, form and terms are agreed separately, and that being a winner "does not create any automatic right or entitlement to receive an investment". The instrument, the stake and the valuation appear in neither place.
How it runs, per the Challenge page:
- By 30 November 2026: apply. A jury of scientists, investors, corporates and industry experts reviews every application.
- February 2027: the Deep Tech Pioneers are announced.
- April 2027: the 100 Deep Tech Startups to Watch are revealed.
- June 2027: Grand Finals at the Hello Tomorrow Summit, which the site dates 2 to 3 June 2027 in Amsterdam.
Who can apply: teams of at least two, from pre-seed to Series D, built on a new technology, a scientific discovery or a complex engineering process. Research and PhD teams can apply to a Spinout Breakthroughs track before they incorporate. There is no country restriction. Applicants need a pitch deck and about 90 minutes for the online form.
Track winners get a title, coaching and introductions to investors, partners and customers. The Terms and Conditions call these in-kind prizes. The page states no cash amount for them, and it does not say how many track winners there are.
Who pays: per the Challenge page, Deepbright Ventures funds the €200,000. The Terms and Conditions say the investors will be communicated at a later stage. The page lists eleven Challenge partners in three tiers, led by dsm-firmenich as Premier partner, and says nothing about what they pay for.
The track record, by the organiser's own count: more than 4,500 startups assessed each year, about 850 selected as Pioneers each year, and 5,000 Pioneers since 2011, which it says have raised more than €33 billion. The numbers conflict. The page says about 850 are selected each year, but its 2026 section says 950 startups made the cut in the 11th Challenge. By our arithmetic, 850 or 950 of 4,500 is roughly one in five or less. In the 2026 cohort, 35% were university spinouts and 57% had women among founders or in C-level roles.
Not published: what the partners fund, how many track winners there are, and the instrument, stake or valuation of the Grand Prize.