U.S. and Canadian intelligence agencies have issued a warning that international pitch competitions are increasingly becoming prime venues for foreign adversaries to steal innovations from Western startups, including technologies crucial to national security.
The bulletin, titled “Safeguarding Western Tech Startups: Exploitation of International Pitch Competitions,” emphasizes that adversaries are taking advantage of these events to gain direct access to research and talent in key areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced propulsion.
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The advisory highlighted pitch events in Atlanta in 2023 and 2024, where organizers openly promoted their ability to connect foreign talent with U.S. startups. Since 2016, one organizer linked to the Chinese government has reportedly accumulated more than 7,400 startup pitches from companies worldwide, many revealing sensitive business strategies and intellectual property.
“U.S. startups are driving the innovation that fuels America’s economy and provides the technology advantage our military relies on,” stated an analyst from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. “But foreign adversaries are increasingly exploiting the fast-paced, high-risk world of startups to quietly siphon away critical breakthroughs.”
The bulletin warns that participants often disclose more information than they intend to, including patent filings, financial data and personal identifiers such as passport information. James Cangialosi, acting director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said international pitch competitions “should be a nurturing ground for innovation, not a hunting ground for foreign threat actors and competitors to coopt Western technology and talent for their own benefit.”
The intelligence agencies advise startups to secure patents before pitching, vet investors and event organizers, and use nondisclosure agreements where possible. They also recommend limiting on-stage disclosures.
“Protecting emerging technology is protecting America’s future,” said Pearl Mundt, executive director of AFOSI. “Our adversaries know the value of U.S. innovation, but so do we. AFOSI is committed to staying ahead of the threat so that American breakthroughs strengthen our military and not someone else’s.”