Hult Prize Foundation
The Hult Prize Foundation operates the world's largest student startup competition, engaging 200,000+ participants from 2,000+ universities across 130+ countries annually. Each year, it awards $1M USD in seed funding to a winning student team in exchange for an equity stake.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hult Prize Foundation does
The Hult Prize Foundation is a private nonprofit organization that operates what it describes as the world's largest student startup competition, engaging 200,000+ participants annually across 130+ countries. Founded in 2010 by Bertil Hult, founder of EF Education First, the foundation runs a five-stage annual competition — Qualifiers, Nationals, Digital Incubator, Global Accelerator, and Global Finals — targeted at university student teams of 2-4 members building for-profit ventures aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. The winning team receives $1M USD in seed funding each year. The foundation is headquartered at 1 Education Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and employs 51-100 staff.
The competition is delivered through a community-embedded platform spanning campus-level qualifiers at 2,000+ university partners globally, an open online application, a six-week virtual Digital Incubator for approximately 80 teams, a four-week in-person Global Accelerator at Ashridge House near London for the top 20 teams, and a Global Finals event where 8 finalists pitch for the prize. The foundation operates a proprietary Progressive Scorecard System that standardizes evaluation across stages — universal criteria (Team, Problem, Impact, Business) apply at all stages, with additional criteria (Product Market Fit at Nationals, Traction at Incubator, Scaling at Finals) layered on as startups advance. A partner perks ecosystem of 25+ technology and service providers contributes $650K+ in startup benefits unlocked from the Digital Incubator stage onward.
The foundation's revenue model combines two streams: equity warrants for approximately 10% of fully-diluted equity in the winning startup (exercised upon full prize disbursement) and corporate sponsorship/partnership revenue. Operations are anchored by financial backing from the Hult family and EF Education First. The organization is incorporated in Massachusetts, has no publicly disclosed funding rounds, and does not publish revenue figures.
Hult Prize Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hult Prize Foundation
- Legal name
- Hult Prize Foundation, Inc.
- Website
- https://hultprize.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Hult Prize Foundation operates the world's largest student startup competition, engaging 200,000+ participants from 2,000+ universities across 130+ countries annually. Each year, it awards $1M USD in seed funding to a winning student team in exchange for an equity stake.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hult Prize Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator / Entrepreneurship Competition
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
Keywords
Where Hult Prize Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hult Prize Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Equity Stake in Winning Startups: The Hult Prize Foundation generates revenue by taking an equity stake (typically 10%) in winning startups in exchange for the $1M USD prize funding. This equity stake funds the foundation's nonprofit operations. The organization receives warrants exercisable for 10% of fully-diluted equity upon full funding disbursement.
- Sponsorship and Partnership Revenue: Corporate sponsors and partners provide financial support and in-kind contributions (perks valued at $650K+) in exchange for global brand visibility, talent pipeline access, and engagement with 200,000+ changemakers across 130+ countries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Free competition entry with milestone-based $1M prize |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Hult Prize Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Hult Prize Foundation operates the world's largest student startup competition, structured as a five-stage progressive program: Qualifiers (campus/local), Nationals (country-level), Digital Incubator (virtual 6-week program), Global Accelerator (in-person at Ashridge House, UK), and Global Finals. The competition awards $1M USD in seed funding to one winning team annually, with the foundation taking an equity stake (typically 10%) in the winning startup as its primary funding mechanism. The program is free to enter, open to student teams of 2-4 members, and requires ventures to align with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Product overview
Hult Prize Foundation operates the world's largest student startup competition, structured as a five-stage progressive program: Qualifiers (campus/local), Nationals (country-level), Digital Incubator (virtual 6-week program), Global Accelerator (in-person at Ashridge House, UK), and Global Finals. The competition awards $1M USD in seed funding to one winning team annually. The program is free to enter, open to student teams of 2-4 members, and requires ventures to align with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Participants gain access to mentorship, educational resources, and a partner perks ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hult Prize Competition (Qualifiers)
Quantifiable outcome
- 84% improvement in students' abilities to express ideas (Stick 'Em, 2025 winner)
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Hult Prize Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hult Prize Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Hult Prize Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Hult International Business SchoolcoreThe Hult Prize was founded at Hult International Business School, where hands-on learning is core to the experience. The school continues to be a key partner in the Hult Prize ecosystem, and top 20 finalists receive 50% scholarships for any Master's degree.
- Ashridge HousecoreThe Global Accelerator program is hosted at Ashridge House, a historic campus near London. This provides the venue for the month-long intensive mentorship and business bootcamp experience.
- Partner Perks EcosystemminorOver 25 partners provide $650K+ in startup benefits including: Chronicle (education), EF (language courses), Hult Business School (scholarships), Forecastr (fundraising), Figma (design), GitHub (development), HubSpot (CRM), Deel (HR/payroll), DigitalOcean (cloud), Webflow (web development), and others. These perks are unlocked starting at the Digital Incubator stage.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Hult Prize Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hult Prize Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceHult Prize Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hult Prize Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Hult Prize Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hult Prize Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments22 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hult Prize Foundation
What does Hult Prize Foundation do?
The Hult Prize Foundation operates the world's largest student startup competition, structured as a five-stage progressive program: Qualifiers (campus/local), Nationals (country-level), Digital Incubator (virtual 6-week program), Global Accelerator (in-person at Ashridge House, UK), and Global Finals. The competition awards $1M USD in seed funding to one winning team annually, with the foundation taking an equity stake (typically 10%) in the winning startup as its primary funding mechanism. The program is free to enter, open to student teams of 2-4 members, and requires ventures to align with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Is Hult Prize Foundation a public or private company?
Hult Prize Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hult Prize Foundation founded?
Hult Prize Foundation was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hult Prize Foundation based?
Hult Prize Foundation is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hult Prize Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Equity Stake in Winning Startups are the primary driver. The others are sponsorship and Partnership Revenue.
Does Hult Prize Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hult Prize Foundation.
What industry is Hult Prize Foundation in?
Hult Prize Foundation's product category is Startup Accelerator / Entrepreneurship Competition. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8200.