Startup Mania Returns to Austin and Peachscore Is Powering the Winners

On March 11, 2026, Startup Mania, a flagship competition produced by Startup Grind, returns to Austin for its second edition, bigger, bolder, and more competitive than ever. Designed as Startup Grind’s premier high-stakes startup showdown, Startup Mania brings together founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders for a single day where visibility, performance, and momentum matter.

This year, Peachscore joins as an official partner, reinforcing its mission to support exceptional founders with real visibility, real opportunities, and sustained momentum beyond the stage.

Startup Mania is not another demo day. It is a one-day, high-energy, bracket-style pitch competition where 64 Seed and Series A startups compete head-to-head in a tournament inspired by March Madness. Each round narrows the field until two finalists face off in a live octagon for a championship finale, complete with walkout music, professional announcers, and a live audience of more than 800 founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders.

The stakes are high. The winning startup takes home:

• The Startup Mania Championship Belt
• $5,000 cash prize
• A full-scale-up Exhibition Package to the Startup Grind Conference in Silicon Valley (April 27–29, 2026) - valued at $5,000
• Over $25,000 worth of perks and services from our partners
• Massive exposure to investors, VCs, media, and global partners

And every competing founder benefits from visibility, connections, and momentum that typically takes years to build.

As part of Peachscore’s partnership, the impact goes even further. In addition to the competition prizes, Peachscore is fully sponsoring the winner and the two runner-up startups with seats into the Peachscore Data-Driven Accelerator, granting them entry into one of Peachscore’s 12 annual accelerator cohorts. 

Startups participating in the Peachscore data-driven accelerator gain access to AI-powered benchmarking, business intelligence, and market insights, along with a graduation certificate endorsed by global partners and the opportunity to present at an open demo day, attend pitch competitions, and investor pitch sessions. Through Peachscore’s integration with Dealum, founders benefit from increased investor visibility to more than 30,000 investors worldwide, in addition to access to over $3.5 million in perks, extensive mentorship through more than 500 hours of office hours, detailed pitch deck reviews, and strategic guidance. The program also facilitates potential introductions to investors for funding, corporations for customer acquisition, and government agencies for expansion opportunities, helping founders turn visibility into execution and long-term growth.

“Startup Mania represents the kind of founder-first, high-signal event the startup ecosystem needs more of,” shared Peyman Shahmirzadi, Co-Founder and COO of Peachscore. “It is competitive, visible, and designed to reward ambition and execution. We are excited to partner with Startup Grind’s Startup Mania and support the next generation of breakout startups directly in their success through our accelerator.”

Beyond the competition itself, Startup Mania is a full-day experience designed for founders and investors alike. The program includes panels with leading venture capitalists and operators, hands-on workshops, private lunches and curated roundtables, startup happy hours and after-parties, and a live concert to close the night. 

This partnership underscores Startup Grind and Peachscore’s shared commitment to collaboration across the startup ecosystem in service of founders.

“Startup Mania was created to reward founders who show up prepared to compete, perform, and break through,” said Guillermo Vizcaíno, Global Community Director at Startup Grind. “Partnering with Peachscore allows us to extend the impact far beyond the stage - turning a single night of momentum into long-term access, intelligence, and real pathways to scale. This is exactly the kind of partnership that founders deserve.”

As an official partner, Peachscore is actively supporting founders attending Startup Mania by extending an exclusive 50% attendee discount to founders, investors, and ecosystem partners through Peachscore. This partnership reflects a shared belief that great founders deserve more than capital alone. They deserve access, visibility, and real opportunities to win.

Together, Peachscore and Startup Mania are creating an environment where founders are not only seen, but also supported long after the lights go down.

Applications are now open for founders looking to compete as one of the 64 startups selected to pitch live iAustin. Seed and Series A founders who are ready to stand out, pitch in front of top investors, and compete for meaningful prizes with real upside are encouraged to apply. Founder applications close on January 22, 2026.

• Apply as a founder before Jan 22

Whether applying to compete, attending to connect, or supporting the next wave of breakout startups, Startup Mania in Austin is where the ecosystem converges on March 11, 2026.

• Interested in sponsoring Startup Mania? Reach out at guillermo@startupgrind.com

About Startup Grind and Startup Mania

Startup Grind is the world’s largest startup community, active in more than 300 cities across 150+ countries, with a mission to educate, inspire, and connect founders everywhere. Startup Grind brings together entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations through world-class events, content, and experiences that help startups grow from idea to scale.

Startup Mania is Startup Grind’s flagship competitive experience - a high-intensity, founder-first startup tournament designed to surface breakout companies and fast-track their visibility, while providing over 15 hours of content and connections with VCs, and industry experts. Combining elite curation, live competition, and global reach, Startup Mania creates moments where startups don’t just pitch - they win attention, credibility, and momentum on a global stage.

For more information, visit:

Startup Grind / Startup Mania Website: https://about.startupgrind.com/startup-mania-2026/

Startup Mania Community: https://www.startupgrind.com/startup-mania/

Startup Mania Event Page: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-startup-mania-presents-startup-mania-2026/

Startup Mania LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-mania-usa/

Startup Grind LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-grind/

About Peachscore

Peachscore is a global data-driven accelerator platform that leverages data intelligence, automation, and human expertise to empower early-stage companies globally at scale. The program runs 12 cohorts annually, each featuring a 12-week accelerator experience that culminates in a graduation certificate endorsed by global partners, demo day, and a full year of ongoing support from the time of enrollment. Founders gain access to AI-powered benchmarking, business intelligence, market insights, mentorship, over $3.5 million in perks, and 4X investor visibility to more than 30,000 investors via the integration with Dealum. Additionally, they benefit from industry-leading 500-plus hours of office hours for mentorship, detailed pitch deck reviews, and potential connections with investors for funding, corporations for customer acquisition, and government agencies for expansion opportunities.

For more information and to apply, visit:

Peachscore Website: https://peachscore.com/
Peachscore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peachscore/