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Spring, 2026
California

Bring Your Team

FutureHR:
The Ultimate Startup Showdown

Compete for prizes and the title of HR.com Startup of the Year!

Why Enter
How it Works
Judging Process
Eligibility Criteria
Answers to FAQs
Our Mission

What the Winner of the 2025 FutureHR: The Ultimate Startup Showdown had to say.

HR TECH STARTUP COMPETITION

Why should you enter?

Big Prizes

Grand Prize

Recognition as HR.com Tech Startup of the Year; personal meetings with investors, analysts, and media; and a one-year marketing services and media package with HR.com valued at $30,000, including free exhibitor participation at future HR.com events.

1st Runner-Up

One-year HR.com custom marketing services and media package valued at $15,000.

2nd Runner-Up

Turnkey webcast package (valid for one year) with HR.com valued at approximately $8,500.

Gain Credibility For Your HR Solution

If you win the contest or are one of the 5 finalists, you can promote your accolade on your website, in marketing materials, and during business conversations.

Top Finalists Pitch Their Startup at HRWest 2025

The 5 finalists will participate in the final competition by pitching their startup idea to judges and HR decision-makers on March 11 in Oakland.

Priceless Expert Feedback

You win even if you don’t make the finals, as you’ll get comprehensive, honest and discrete feedback on your product positioning strategy and visibility. Our judges all have extensive experience as leading analysts or investors in the HR Tech space.

HR Tech Startup Application

How Does The HR Tech Startup Contest Work?

Phase 1

Complete Application

Fill out the application form (your entry must be complete) to enter FutureHR: The Ultimate Startup Showdown

Deadline:

5 PM PT on January 10, 2025

Phase 2

Preliminary Judging

Panel of analysts, investors and senior HR leaders will determine 5 finalists to pitch at HRWest

Judges’ deliberation:

January 11-24, 2025.

Phase 3

Judges Feedback

Learn if you are advancing to the onsite finals – either way receive expert feedback from our judges!

Finalist Notifications:

Will be sent via email by January 27, 2025.

Phase 4

Pitch at HRWEST 2025!

5 finalists will pitch their products in person to judges and attendees at HRWest 2025, where first-, second-, and third-place winners will be named.

Contest Finals:

March 11 at HRWest 2025 in Oakland.

How Will Your HR Tech Startup Be Judged?

Your entry will be judged on how (on a scale of 1 to 10):

well your technology addresses real HR needs and existing market challenges
competitive your product is within the current market, and whether your company is worth investing in when considering long-term viability and profitability
innovative or disruptive your technology truly is, and how clearly your offering is differentiated from existing products already on the market
clearly your company is able to communicate your value proposition, and how easy it is to measure the direct impact of that value prop - Is it worth buying?
well your technology integrates with existing stacks, and how it augments and extends current HR tech capabilities

Each competition entrant will be evaluated using a judging scorecard. This scorecard will be kept confidential.

Rules for finalists:

All presentations must be in English
Maximum of 7 minutes for pitch, with 3 minutes of Q&A with judges
Maximum of 2 team members per company
Plagiarism or misrepresentation will result in immediate disqualification
The judges' decision is final and cannot be appealed

Are You Eligible For Our HR Tech Startup Competition

All entries will be carefully screened for eligibility. ALL startups must meet ALL of the following criteria:

You must be an independent business, a sole proprietor, or a for-profit busines
You must have a service or solution that is currently being marketed and sold
Your startup must be primarily focused on, and purpose-built for, HR or recruiting use cases
If you have received funding, the most recent raise or liquidity event must be within the last three years
You must have raised less than $2M in funding or have not yet completed a Series B round of funding, if that round represented a total investment of less than $2M
While company age is irrelevant, your product, or platform or service itself must have been established no more than five years ago
You must have a minimum viable product (MVP) or a prototype that can be used outside of a demo environment or click board
You must have a referenceable client and no less than two active installs for real customers by the submission due date

Competition FAQ

Is there a registration fee?

There is no registration fee for attending the event; however, there is a fee if you wish to attend the 2-day HRWest event.

Do I need a complete product to enter?

You need a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or a prototype at the very least.

When and where will the finals of the FutureHR Startup Competition be held?

The finals will be March 11 in the afternoon at HRWest, which is being held at the Oakland Marriott City Center in Oakland, CA.

What does the HR.com marketing package include?

It includes a range of services such as PR, content marketing, social media promotion, and lead generation strategies, customized for your startup.

For any further questions, please reach out to hrwest@hr.com

FutureHR Startup Competition Mission Statement

We strive to level the playing field for HR technology startups by providing a platform to expose early-stage talent technologies to a global audience of millions of buyers, while helping our human resources community connect with the most innovative and revolutionary startups across all HR Tech categories, from AI to ZBR, and every acronym in between.