The Ventures, an international startup awards platform and venture club originally launched in Silicon Valley, has continued its annual U.S. series with second consecutive editions in Los Angeles and Miami, reinforcing its long-term presence within the American venture ecosystem.
Most recently held during Miami Venture Week, the Miami 2026 edition marked the platform’s return to South Florida for the second year in a row, following its continued presence in Los Angeles earlier this season.
The Ventures’ global jury comprises more than 350 venture funds worldwide — active capital allocators that participate in live evaluations to identify investment-ready companies. Recent U.S. editions in Los Angeles and Miami featured investors such as Techstars, Expert Dojo, TiE Los Angeles Angels, Draper Cygnus, BlueLake VC, Slauson & Co., Big Sky Capital, and more.
Rather than operating as a traditional pitch competition, The Ventures functions as a curated venture forum — structured, selective, and intentionally limited in scale. Each U.S. edition convenes a private room of investors, operators, and high-caliber founders for live evaluations and closed-door capital conversations.
“The Ventures is about creating the right space for meaningful venture conversations,” said Anastasia Klimova, COO of The Ventures and Member of The Ventures Committee. “By bringing together top founders and active investors in a carefully curated setting, discussions move past pitches and toward real opportunities that can shape the next wave of innovation.”
The most recent American cohorts reflected the breadth of today’s venture landscape, with companies spanning enterprise infrastructure, frontier AI, deep tech systems, cybersecurity, digital health, mobility, and next-generation consumer technologies. The platform’s cross-sector lens reflects a core thesis: innovation cycles are converging, and capital allocators increasingly evaluate opportunities across vertical boundaries.
Finalists were assessed not merely on presentation, but on execution depth, market timing, and institutional readiness, criteria aligned with long-term venture viability.
“The Ventures is designed to create high-trust, invite-only environments where conviction-driven founders and investors connect directly,” said Oleg Safranov, member of The Ventures jury. “This isn’t about stage presence, it’s about capital readiness, execution depth, and long-term viability.”
With prior editions in San Francisco, New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and other global innovation centers, The Ventures continues to operate at the intersection of American venture markets and international capital networks.
As the 2026 cycle progresses, the platform maintains a focused mandate: engineering high-trust environments where conviction-driven founders and active capital meet with intention.