6 Pitch Competitions Open to All College-Student Founders
Calling all student founders across the United States: Here are 6 pitch competitions open to all student-run ventures.
As someone who loves pitch competitions and has been fortunate to organize several of them throughout the world, I couldn’t resist putting together this list of upcoming opportunities for students to compete in and stand a chance to receive significant funding that could launch their ventures.
Beyond the investment and prizes themselves, pitch competitions are a great way for start-ups to gain publicity and traction among investors and potential users. I have personally met brilliant funders, customers, and friends at pitch competitions that ended up being far more valuable to my start-up than the prize pool itself.
Below is a quick list of 6 pitch competitions that are open to founders from any university across the United States:
1. The Moonshot Prize by Pillar VC
Pillar VC is a Boston-based VC with a focus on early-stage deep science & digital enterprise companies. Pillar’s Moonshot Prize invites students and faculty to apply to receive up to $1,000,000 in funding in the form of an uncapped SAFE for your start-up or idea. The Moonshot Prize aims to find brilliant innovations in software, hardware, AI, robotics, climate, biotech, and more that are being built inside research labs, MBA programs, and dorm rooms.
Though the main winner will take home the $1 Million investment into their start-up, the Moonshot Prize will also be investing $250,000 in the form of an uncapped SAFE in two additional teams. All teams receiving an investment will also be eligible to receive mentorship from Pillar VC’s network of industry experts and potential customer introductions from Pillar.
Eligibility: At least one co-founder must be actively affiliated with a university. Undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and faculty members are all encouraged to apply.
Important Dates: Applications are due by March 2nd, 2025.
2. ICSC Foundation’s Roslyn & Elliot Jaffe Retail Entrepreneur Prize
With the goal of championing entrepreneurship and innovation in the marketplace sector, the Roslyn & Elliot Jaffe Retail Entrepreneur Prize is run by the ICSC Foundation, the charitable arm of ICSC, a membership organization for the retail industry.
The competition seeks individuals or teams with a business plan for a new retail concept. Winners will receive $10,000 in funding, industry mentorship, and a complimentary trip to ICSC Las Vegas.
Eligibility: Undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in a degree program in the United States. The student or team must be passionate about launching a new retail concept, product, idea or pre-seed stage company (either brick-and-mortar or online).
Important Dates: Applications are due before March 3rd, 2025.
3. The Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC)
With over $1 Million in prizes up for grabs and a complimentary all-expense paid trip to Singapore for finalists who make it to their grand finals to pitch their start-up in person, the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) is one of the world’s largest university start-up competitions. The competition is hosted by Singapore Management University (SMU) and is a biennial competition that attracts young innovators from over 77 countries, offering them the platform, mentorship, and resources to turn their business ideas into reality.
Their theme this year is “Urban Solutions and Sustainability Innovations”, inviting innovators in climate tech, energy transition, carbon tech, food & land use, green buildings and construction, public health, homeland security, urban mobility solutions, sustainable materials, water solutions, emerging tech and more to compete.
Eligibility: Students from all universities around the world are welcome to apply. Each team must have at least one founding member/founder, who is a current student or recent alumni of a university who graduated within the past 5 years. A “current student” is defined as per their criteria as an individual who is currently enrolled full-time in a polytechnic, undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD program at a tertiary institution as of 31 March 2025 while an“alumni of less than 5 years” is defined as any person who graduated from a tertiary institute from 31 March 2020 onwards.
Important Dates: Applications are due on March 31st, 2025. The shortlisted finalists will be invited to compete in the grand finals in Singapore and attend its accompanying events from September 29th, 2025, to October 2nd, 2025.
4. Pear Dorm’s Pitch Competition
Spearheaded by Pear VC’s student-founder-focused initiative, Dorm, the Pear Pitch Competition is open to students nationally. Pear has over a decade's worth of experience working with student founders, having backed companies such as DoorDash that began on university campuses.
The winner of the competition receives a $100,000 SAFE investment, with smaller prizes available for runner-ups. With 25% of their cohort going on to raise Series A+ rounds from institutional VC firms such as General Catalyst, Greycroft, Insight Partners and more, this competition is a great way for start-ups to get on the map of the larger start-up and VC ecosystem.
Eligibility: At least 1 of the co-founders of the start-up must be a current student enrolled in a university in the United States or Canada. Start-ups that are pre-incorporation are also encouraged to apply
Important Dates: Applications are due before March 21st, 2025 for their national category.
5. The Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition
For edtech entrepreneurs and innovators in the education space, the Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC) is widely regarded as a premier competition for education entrepreneurs. This annual event is hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education but is open to any early-stage start-up beyond Penn as well. With a focus on transformative solutions in education, the EBPC has awarded over $2 million in funding to start-ups that are reimagining the future of learning, from early childhood to workforce development.
Finalists will compete for a share of the $140,000 prize pool across multiple award categories, including AI in Education, Global Innovation, and Special Education Solutions. In addition to funding, winners gain access to a network of investors, mentors, and education leaders who can help bring their ventures to the next level.
Eligibility: Open to early-stage ventures worldwide that have an explicit focus on education. Applicants can be individuals or teams, and their business must be pre-Series A with a sustainable revenue model or a clear pathway to sustainability.
Important Dates: Applications are due before February 19th, 2025. Finalists will pitch their start-ups at the finals that will be located in Philadelphia in May 2025.
6. The NGEN Pitch Competition
The NextGen Entrepreneurship Network (NGEN), is an intercollegiate community for ambitious student innovators. As a 501(c)(3), NGEN organizes some of the most exciting conferences, Founder Treks and events for student founders to connect across campuses, learn from experts, access resources, and collaborate with peers with the goal of empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs at every stage, from inspiration to lasting impact.
In collaboration with BullMont Capital, NGEN is giving top student founders a chance to win a $10,000 SAFE investment for their ventures through NGEN’s upcoming pitch competition. The NGEN Pitch Competition aims to help founders secure their first investment to transform prototypes and early traction into scalable ventures.
Eligibility: It is open to all student founders enrolled in a degree program in the United States. Students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are encouraged to apply. Start-ups are required to have either a prototype/MVP and/or early traction/validation.
Important Dates: Applications are due before March 1st, 2025. Finalists will pitch their start-up in person in New York City at NGEN’s Upcoming Trailblazers Conference on April 11th, 2025.
Oh no, there are too many - What do I do?
As you can see, there are many exciting pitch competitions that welcome college-level founders. Late Spring often feels like the season for these types of conferences and events. In fact, I am helping to organize a few that aren’t on this list (announcements coming soon!).
💡 My tip: Keep a simple running document with the answers to all the frequently asked questions that these pitch competitions usually ask so that you can quickly and effectively tailor your answers to each competition's needs.
Need help getting ready to pitch your start-up or raise an investment round?
I also provide consultancy services to help start-ups prepare for pitching or investment, based on my experiences as a founder and VC scout.
Book a free fundraising consultation session with me here to get feedback on your venture (Only two available slots left for February).
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I publish weekly articles on funding opportunities, start-up resources, and insights I’ve gained as a founder and VC scout. I’m also planning to release Part 2 of this list soon!