A global Top 100 milestone
On July 2, 2026, VDS announced the Top 100 startups in its 2026 Startup Competition, including Learny AI. According to the organizers, 1,560 applications were submitted from 87 countries.
One hundred places from 1,560 applications equal approximately 6.4%. That figure is our calculation using the published totals; VDS did not present it as an official acceptance rate.
What VDS evaluated
VDS says the selection was carried out in collaboration with Plug and Play. The published criteria covered innovation, scalability, business model, technical and commercial viability, and potential impact.
This breadth matters because it asks teams to demonstrate more than an interesting idea. A competitive startup also needs a credible path to build, reach a market, grow, and create meaningful value.
How Learny interpreted the result
The organizers did not publish project-by-project judging notes. From Learny's perspective, the selection recognized a direction with global relevance: combining conversational AI, education, voice, and a focused family experience in one product.
That interpretation belongs to our team; it should not be read as a statement from VDS or Plug and Play about why individual judges voted for Learny.
The next stage was the Top 50
The Top 100 was a distinct selection milestone rather than the final result. VDS identified the Top 50 as the next stage, creating a new evaluation point for the companies moving through the competition.
For Learny, reaching the Top 100 was both a reason to celebrate and a reason to keep improving the early product, its business foundations, and the clarity of the problem we aim to solve.
Sources and further reading
See what we’re building
Discover the thinking behind Learny, then join early access to follow the product as it develops.