Subscribe to our newsletter to receive business tips, learn about new funding programmes, join upcoming events, take e-learning courses, and more.
Take the first step to successfully starting and growing your business.
Join for free)
Posted: Fri 4th Sep 2026
8 min read
CoCreate Pitch is Alibaba.com's global product-based start-up competition, held as part of its flagship CoCreate summit.
Now in its third year, the 2026 competition offers a prize pool of more than $1 million across the US and Europe regional finals, with every finalist guaranteed a cash prize.
The competition is open to founders and businesses at different stages through three tracks:
The General SMEs Track for established small and medium-sized businesses
The 0-to-1 Start-up Track for founders building a business from scratch
The Students Track for currently enrolled students
Applicants can enter from anywhere in the world. Legally registered companies are eligible for the General SMEs and 0-to-1 Start-up tracks, while students can apply without company registration.
Applications will be assessed on innovation, feasibility, market potential and how effectively applicants use Accio Work, Alibaba.com's enterprise AI agent, to develop and sharpen their proposal.
All candidates can apply directly through the CoCreate Pitch application form.
Accio Work is Alibaba.com's agentic AI platform. A dedicated CoCreate Pitch Agent is available to support candidates as they prepare their pitch and application.
Download Accio Work: accio.com/work.
Use the CoCreate Pitch plugin: Once inside Accio Work, open the built-in CoCreate Pitch Agent. The agent will guide you through transforming your product idea into a structured pitch proposal, covering your concept, business model and execution plan. Watch the video on the CoCreate Pitch event page for more information on how to install and use the plugin.
Complete and submit your pitch proposal using either of the two application methods above. All submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee and evaluated against four criteria: innovation, feasibility, market potential and how effectively you have used Accio Work to develop and sharpen your proposal.
Successful applicants will be notified and invited to compete at the live regional finals.
The Europe finals take place in London on 19–20 November 2026.
Each regional final features 20 finalists competing live in front of a panel of industry leaders and investors.
Any legally registered company from anywhere in the world may apply to the General SMEs and 0-to-1 Start-up tracks.
The Students Track is open to currently enrolled students and does not require company registration.
Employees of Alibaba.com, its affiliates and subsidiaries, and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
From B2B to A2A, powered by Accio Work: This year, AI plays a central role in the competition. Accio Work, Alibaba.com's enterprise AI agent, is now the required platform for all applications. Its built-in CoCreate Pitch Agent guides founders from an initial idea to a structured pitch. Effective use of Accio Work is a formal evaluation criterion for 2026.
Three competition tracks: The General SMEs Track, 0-to-1 Start-up Track and Students Track replace the previous open format, creating opportunities for established businesses, early-stage founders and students to take part. More information is available below.
Restructured prize model: The 2026 prize structure places greater emphasis on the top awards, while guaranteeing a prize for every finalist.
Asia-Pacific regional competition: A new regional competition launches this year alongside the established US and Europe finals. Its prize pool will be announced separately.
Like everyone, you've probably had that moment: an idea worth pursuing, a gap in the market you've spotted or a business you can picture clearly.
But moving from an idea to the first practical step can be difficult. You might be unsure where to start, worried about getting it wrong or waiting until the timing feels right.
Sometimes the idea stays just that: an idea. Meanwhile, someone else might take a similar concept and turn it into a business.
It's natural to have doubts when starting something new. The important thing is finding a practical way to explore your idea, test its potential and decide what to do next.
CoCreate Pitch is designed to help founders take that next step, offering resources, a platform to present their ideas and the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and investors.
With a prize pool of more than $1 million, access to Alibaba.com's global supply chain and support from Accio Work, founders have practical resources to help turn an early idea into a structured business proposal.
You have the idea. The tools and opportunity are here. Make It Real.
CoCreate Pitch 2026 introduces three distinct competition tracks, opening the competition to a wider range of entrepreneurs than previous editions.
General SMEs Track: For established small and medium-sized businesses with existing products that are looking to scale globally.
0-to-1 Start-up Track: For founders starting from scratch and using Accio Work to develop an initial idea into a business proposal.
Students Track: For currently enrolled students developing next-generation products.
Any legally registered company from anywhere in the world is eligible to apply to the General SMEs and 0-to-1 Start-up tracks. The Students Track does not require company registration.
CoCreate Pitch 2026 features two main regional finals: the US finals in Los Angeles on 9–10 September 2026 and the Europe finals in London on 19–20 November 2026.
A new Asia-Pacific regional competition will also take place, with its prize pool to be announced separately.
Each of the US and Europe finals will feature 20 finalists competing live. The prize structure for each regional final is as follows:
1st place: $200,000
2nd place: $100,000
3rd place: $50,000
4th to 20th place: $10,000 each (17 finalists)
The combined prize pool across the US and Europe finals exceeds $1 million. Every finalist who reaches the live competition is guaranteed a prize.
Competing in CoCreate Pitch 2026 offers value beyond the prize money. Participants gain access to three layers of support.
Every applicant gets access to Accio Work, Alibaba.com's plug-and-play enterprise AI agent.
Through the built-in CoCreate Pitch Agent, participants receive guided support in developing their product idea into a structured, competition-ready pitch proposal. It provides a free AI-powered tool to help founders develop their business ideas from the start of the application process.
All candidates who successfully submit their applications through Accio Work will receive an additional 1,000 bonus credits in their Accio Work account. The credits will be valid for 180 days from the date of issue.
All participants gain access to:
Alibaba.com's global supplier and sourcing infrastructure, including a network of more than 200,000 verified suppliers spanning more than 200 countries and regions
AI-powered sourcing tools designed to support rapid prototyping and cost-efficient production
For product founders, this offers a way to explore the same global sourcing infrastructure used by businesses of all sizes, helping them investigate suppliers, develop prototypes and plan production.
Finalists pitch live on stage at CoCreate, Alibaba.com's global commerce summit, in front of a panel of industry leaders and investors.
The competition also offers opportunities to gain visibility across Alibaba.com's global network and connect with buyers, suppliers and the wider entrepreneurial community.
Yes, Alibaba CoCreate can be a worthwhile opportunity for founders, small businesses and students, particularly those with a product-based business or idea.
CoCreate Pitch offers the chance to compete for a share of a prize pool of more than $1 million, gain exposure to industry leaders and investors, and access tools such as Accio Work to help develop and structure a business proposal.
Pitch competitions can also be valuable beyond the main prize. They give entrepreneurs experience presenting their ideas and can offer feedback from judges, networking opportunities, media exposure and recognition for reaching the finalist stage.
As with any competition, the value depends on your goals and the time required to apply. For founders with a product idea they want to develop further, the opportunity may be worth exploring.
Yes. CoCreate is a global commerce summit and pitch competition organised by Alibaba.com. CoCreate Pitch has run in previous years, and features live regional finals, judging panels and cash prizes.
Alibaba.com publishes competition details, application information, eligibility requirements and terms through its official CoCreate channels.
The 2026 competition offers a prize pool of more than $1 million across the US and Europe finals, with an additional regional competition in Asia-Pacific.
Alibaba CoCreate is Alibaba.com's global commerce summit for product-driven businesses. It brings together entrepreneurs, SMEs, suppliers, manufacturers, buyers and industry leaders, with a focus on global sourcing, manufacturing, e-commerce, AI and supply-chain innovation.
CoCreate Pitch is the pitch competition associated with the summit, giving founders and businesses the opportunity to present their products and ideas to a panel of industry leaders and compete for a share of the prize pool.
