The Pitch by Deel: A $1M Global Tournament for Seed-Stage Founders
This one’s a little different from our usual HR Jobs Hub content, but too good not to share.
If you:
Are building a startup yourself, or
Have founders in your network (especially in HR, work-tech, SaaS, or B2B),
…they should know about The Pitch by Deel, presented by J.P. Morgan.
It’s a global startup tournament where founders submit a 2-minute pitch for a shot at:
💰 Up to 10 global winners getting $1,000,000 each in SAFE investment
💰 Up to 100 regional winners getting $50,000 each in SAFE investment
🌍 In-person pitch events from Tel Aviv → Dubai → Singapore → Berlin → London → Paris → New York
🤝 Access to a global founder community + a marketplace of software perks, just for applying
And there’s no application fee. The competition is designed for pre-seed and seed-stage startups with an MVP who are ready to scale.
🔗 Application link:
https://www.deel.com/the-pitch-by-deel/
What is “The Pitch” in plain English?
Think of The Pitch by Deel as a global knockout tournament for startups:
Apply online in 5 minutes
Founders submit a short application and a 2-minute pitch video.Compete locally
– Selected startups are invited to pitch live at regional finals in: Tel Aviv, Dubai, Paris, Berlin, London, Singapore, and New York (March–May 2026).
– From those events, up to 100 startups receive a $50,000 SAFE investment and an invite to the global finale.Win globally
– Regional winners travel to the global finale (accommodation covered) and compete for the top prizes.
– Up to 10 global champions win an additional $1,000,000 SAFE investment each. (Yes, they keep the $50K too.)Perks for everyone who applies
– All applicants get access to Deel’s startup perks marketplace (discounts on tools) and an invite to a global founder community, with networking and mentorship opportunities.
The whole thing is built to back real operators & founders who are shipping, iterating, and ready to be judged on product, traction, team, and market rather than who they know.
Who should seriously consider applying?
According to Deel’s eligibility guidance, The Pitch is ideal if you’re:
A pre-seed or seed-stage startup
With a live MVP (not just a deck)
Incorporated (or willing to incorporate soon)
Typically < $3M raised so far
Ready and able to travel to a regional final if selected
That includes:
HR tech / work-tech founders building tools for hiring, payroll, benefits, engagement, L&D, people analytics, etc.
SaaS and B2B startups with paying users or real early traction
Global-first companies already hiring or serving customers across borders
If someone in your circle fits that description, sending them this opportunity is a high-leverage nudge.
Why this matters to the HR Jobs Hub community
Even though we’re primarily focused on the HR world, HR jobs, HR software, and the future of work, a big part of our audience sits inside startups and scaleups:
HR professionals who are the first People Ops hire
Leaders who regularly refer strong operators to founding teams
Founders building HR tools and work-tech from inside the HR Jobs Hub network
For that group, access to capital and visibility can completely change the trajectory of a startup.
We like The Pitch because:
🧪 Merit-based: No fees, no “pay to present”. Applications are evaluated on product, team, traction, and potential.
🌍 Truly global: Finals across major hubs—Middle East, Europe, APAC, US.
💵 Real capital: SAFE investments of $50K and $1M are meaningful at seed stage, not symbolic.
🤝 Community & perks: Even if you don’t win, you still walk away with software discounts and a founder network.
And selfishly, we’d love to see founders from the HR Jobs Hub community on that stage.
Key dates & locations to know
Applications close two weeks before each regional event. As per Deel’s site, regional finals are scheduled for:
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv – March 23, 2026
🇦🇪 Dubai – April 6, 2026
🇫🇷 Paris – April 13, 2026
🇩🇪 Berlin – April 20, 2026
🇬🇧 London – April 28, 2026
🇸🇬 Singapore – May 6, 2026
🇺🇸 New York – May 13, 2026
If your favourite founder lives anywhere near those cities (or can travel), they should probably have this on their radar now, not “sometime later”.
How to apply (and how you can help)
For founders:
Open the application → https://www.deel.com/the-pitch-by-deel/
Set aside 10–15 minutes (Deel says most founders complete it in under 5 minutes, but give yourself breathing room).
Record a clear, no-fluff 2-minute pitch that covers:
What you’re building
Who it’s for and why now
What traction you’ve seen
Where you’d use the capital
For the rest of us (the HR Jobs Hub crowd):
Forward this newsletter to at least one founder who should see it.
Or drop the link into your founder WhatsApp/Slack group with a short note
“Hey, you might want to look at this: global pitch competition by Deel & J.P. Morgan – 2-minute pitch, up to $1M SAFE. Deadline is 2 weeks before each regional event.”
Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone’s career is simply put the right link in front of them at the right time.
Final Note
If you’re a founder:
A 2-minute pitch and 5 minutes of form filling is a tiny bet for a shot at $50K → $1M in funding, global exposure, and a serious signal on your cap table.
If you’re not a founder, but you know good ones:
Sharing this once could be the intro that changes someone’s trajectory.
🔗 Application link:
https://www.deel.com/the-pitch-by-deel/
If you end up applying (or know someone who does), hit reply and tell us, we’d love to quietly cheer from the sidelines and, hopefully, see HR Jobs Hub community members on The Pitch stage.
Until next time,
Kay, HR Jobs Hub