Melbourne-based AI-tech startup Deeligence just took out top gong at the Startup World Cup 2025 regional event and earned a place on the global stage with a sponsored trip to the Grand Finale in San Francisco this October – and the chance to compete for US$1 million in investment.
Hosted in Melbourne, the prestigious international pitch competition – run by Pegasus Tech Ventures – showcased 10 high-growth startups who pitched live to a panel of heavyweight investors. Deeligence not only impressed the judges with its AI-powered due diligence platform, but made it clear they would be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Startup World Cup regional finals, Melbourne Image: Sartup&Angels
Pitch win to global domination
“We help lawyers get through lots of documents much faster when they’re looking to buy a business for their client,” said Justin Hansky, co-founder of Deeligence, who delivered the winning pitch. “We came along to pitch at the Startup World Cup and headed home winners.”
Founded in 2022, Deeligence has quickly made waves in the legal tech space by automating one of the most time-consuming elements of M&A transactions: contract review. The platform itself helps firms screen thousands of documents at rapid speed, while at the same time catching any red flags and generating reports that will meet even the tightest client deadlines.
“Deeligence is being used to review thousands of documents every month and lawyers are getting work done in about half the time on our platform than they would otherwise,” Hansky said. “They’re actually able to meet their clients’ ambitious deadlines, which are getting tighter and tighter over time.”
Deeligence is already working with law firms and legal teams across Australia and New Zealand. But international expansion – especially into the US and UK – is a big part of their next chapter.
“In terms of building a company in the legaltech space, if you want to build a really sizeable company, you need to be global from day one,” Hansky said. “You need to be in the US, you need to be in the UK. So for us, Australia is a great place to start. The Australian market’s been an awesome testing ground for us. But in order to deliver on the next stage of growth for our business, we need to start seeing what else is available out there and heading to the market sooner rather than later.”
Timing the jump to the US
The Startup World Cup prize couldn’t have come at a better time. Deeligence is preparing for a capital raise and eyeing expansion into North America – making San Francisco the perfect spot to start forging connections.
“[We’re] mentally planning the sales calls we’re going to have on our trip to San Francisco,” Hansky said.
With the Grand Finale set to take place this October, it will bring together regional winners from more than 50 cities around the world. As Hansky and co-founder Elena Tsalanidis’s first trip to the US on behalf of the business, they’re planning to make the most of their time there.
“It’s a great opportunity, both with our upcoming fundraise to meet folks over in San Francisco and also to validate some stuff about the market over in the US,” Hansky said. “Because the best way to find out about this stuff is to be on the ground. It’s an incredible opportunity – timing-wise – for what we’re doing in the business.”
The trip has fast-tracked their market-exploration efforts – giving them not just exposure, but a reason to start building connections and gathering all the most important insights right now.
“[We] will adjust the timing and [add] a little bit of extra work to make sure we have the right meetings in our calendar before we go.”
A boost of confidence and visibility
Their victory at the Startup World Cup is a huge morale boost, while at the same time signalling Deeligence as one to watch in the lawtech space.
“It feels surreal to have won this competition,” Hansky said. “The reality of the prize is very cool. Going over and getting to meet all these amazing people [and going] to San Francisco, which is the absolute hub of startup land … it feels awesome.”
While October is just around the corner, Hansky is confident his team will be ready and able – and that this win has generated plenty of momentum they’re ready to harness.
Deeligence joins an enviable list of past Startup World Cup winners who’ve gone on to secure major investments and partnerships after pitching on the world stage.
Startup Daily is a media partner of Startup World Cup Australia, hosted by Startup&Angels and supported by platinum partners, United Airlines and Dell Technologies + Windows 11.
With thanks to Dell Technologies, Startup World Cup sponsor
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