Victory for East Bay SBDC Client Highlights California Entrepreneurship on a Global Stage
San Francisco, CA, October 23, 2025, — Coreshell Technologies, a battery innovation company based in San Leandro, California, has been named the Grand Finale Winner of the 2025 Startup World Cup, earning a $1 million investment and top honors among 100+ regional champions representing six continents.
Prior to the Grand Finale, Coreshell participated in the StartUp World Cup East Bay Regional, an event created and hosted by East Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Executive Director Nancy Mangold to showcase promising startups from across the region. After a strong performance at the East Bay Regional, Coreshell advanced to the global competition, ultimately securing the Grand Prize.
Following their acceptance into the competition, Coreshell became an East Bay SBDC client, receiving 1:1 targeted pitch preparation support from experienced business advisors ahead of the regional event. By convening the first East Bay Regional Competition, the SBDC provided startups with a platform to gain exposure, connect with investors and compete on an international stage. In addition, the SBDC’s guidance and regional network helped finalists like Coreshell refine their narratives, positioning them for success at the global level.
“It was an incredible experience to share Coreshell’s story on a global stage and be recognized among such an inspiring group of startups from around the world,” said Jonathan Tan, CEO of Coreshell Technologies. “The East Bay SBDC was instrumental in helping us prepare for this journey. Nancy Mangold championed us from day one, connecting us with outstanding coaches whose feedback helped us refine our pitch. This recognition gives our team tremendous momentum as we scale our manufacturing presence and move into our next phase of growth.”
“We’re very proud of the visibility and opportunity that the Startup World Cup East Bay Regional has created for startups in our community to be recognized on the global stage,” said Nancy Mangold, Executive Director of the East Bay SBDC. “Coreshell’s success reflects the caliber of entrepreneurial talent in our region. These entrepreneurs’ relentless pursuit of life-changing technologies to solve today’s biggest challenges will help lead our world into a better future. The SBDC remains committed to supporting our startups and entrepreneurs every step of the way.”
Hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures, the StartUp World Cup is one of the largest global startup competitions, bringing together the most promising tech startups from around the world to showcase breakthroughs across technology. Finalists were selected from more than 100 regional events to gather in San Francisco on October 17, 2025 to compete for the $1 million investment prize.
“Choosing the winners was incredibly tough. Startups from around the world brought amazing energy and competed fiercely for a spot in the Top 10,” said Anis Uzzaman Founder and CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures and Chairman of the Startup World Cup.”We’re extremely proud of this year’s champion, and congratulations to the Coreshell team for their outstanding performance at the Startup World Cup 2025 Grand Finale. A big thank you to East Bay SBDC for partnering with us on the East Bay regional. We’re excited to team up again and make next year’s event even bigger!”
Speakers at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale included Lori Greiner of ABC’s Shark Tank; Yossi Matias, Head of Research at Google; Court Lorenzini, founding CEO of DocuSign; Cindy Stoddard, CIO of Adobe; and Jessica Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at LinkedIn. The judging panel featured top executives from Samsung, Mercedes-Benz, and Salesforce Ventures, as well as partners from leading venture capital firms including Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and Norwest.
Coreshell Technologies secured the win with its drop-in battery technology that replaces graphite with metallurgical silicon in the anode, increasing energy density by 30–40 percent. This innovation is paving the way for more powerful and affordable electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
With this win, Coreshell Technologies receives $1,000,000 investment and an expanded presence in the worldwide technology market.