UNLEASH World (Paris) Startup Award 2025: finalists pitch live before a global judging panel featuring WorkTech Advisory’s CEO, Marilyn Pearson Hendricks. Expect clear signals on what wins in HR tech—real customer outcomes, sharp differentiation, credible scale—and where practical AI and skills intelligence are heading next.
Conference: UNLEASH World
Date: October 21, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM
Format: Live startup finals & judging
Overview
The UNLEASH Startup Award highlights emerging HR technology that’s poised to make a real impact. Finalists will pitch live to a panel of industry leaders— including Marilyn Pearson Hendricks (CEO, WorkTech Advisory)—for top honors and a sponsorship package. Expect sharp questions, practical critique, and a clear view of what separates promising solutions from the pack.
Judging Panel:
- Jess Von Bank (Mercer)
- Jason Averbook (Mercer)
- Kathi Enderes (The Josh Bersin Company)
- Audrey Handem (Acadian Ventures)
- Benjamin Visser (allygatr)
- Matthias Pietsch (HRTech Strategy)
- Syed Ali Abbas (HelloFresh)
- Marilyn Pearson Hendricks (WorkTech Advisory)
Key Takeaways
- What wins in 2025:
Evidence of customer outcomes, clear differentiation, and a credible path to scale—not just feature lists.
- How judges evaluate:
Problem clarity, market fit, defensible tech (including AI use with governance), and a realistic go-to-market motion.
- Signals to watch:
Skills intelligence, workflow consolidation, measurable analytics, and practical AI that improves decisions—not vanity demos.
- For founders & buyers:
How to position solutions for enterprise readiness—and how buyers can separate noise from value in today’s HR tech market.