Vaia Reaches the Semifinals of the HAE Startup World Cup

Vaia Investment Advisory advanced to the semifinals of the HAE Startup World Cup Regional, run by Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE).

Semifinals were held virtually on 11 and 12 August 2026. Each company pitched in front of at least three judges for five minutes, followed by a five-minute Q&A, sharing their own slides. HAE's rules require that the Harvard alumni founder who is an HAE member be the one to pitch at every stage; for Vaia, that was Shruthi Cauvery, whose own Harvard connection is a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

The semifinalist pool was unusually strong that year: strong enough that HAE expanded its finalist pool from twelve to thirteen companies, and described the final call as a particularly difficult one across a strong field.

HAE invited Vaia to apply to the HAE Strategic Advisory Network, and offered Shruthi, as the Harvard alumni founder who took part, a complimentary, non-transferable ticket to HAE's event in Boston on 24 September.