43North
An annual investment competition in Buffalo, New York. Five startups win US$1 million each for 5% equity, then relocate to Buffalo and join 43North's accelerator programme.
US$1m invested · 5% equity
Status unknown
Pitch competition · Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA)
A competition for university students who already run a business while studying. Local and national rounds lead to Global Finals, where students compete for US$100,000 in cash prizes.
Status unknown Run by Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages
Terms
- Funding
- US$50,000 US$100,000 in cash at the Global Finals: first place US$50,000, second US$25,000, third US$15,000; local prizes vary
- Instrument
- Prize
- Equity taken
- not published
- Programme fee
- not published
- Duration
- not published
- Cohort size
- not published
- Cohorts
- not published
- Delivery
- In person
- Stages
- Pre-seed, seed
- Sectors
- Sector-agnostic
- Open to founders from
- Anywhere
- Perks
- not published
Application dates
Status unknown
Dates not published. Local and national competitions run through the calendar year in cities worldwide; the Global Finals are typically held in June.
Usual timing: Local and national competitions run through the calendar year in cities worldwide; the Global Finals are typically held in June.
Who can apply
- Enrolled undergraduate or graduate student (part-time is fine) for the current academic year
- Owner, founder or controlling shareholder of the business; one owner per company
- Business operating for at least six consecutive months, with US$500 in revenue or US$1,000 in investment
- Aged 18 to 30
- Not a previous Global Finals competitor
- Stage: pre-seed, seed
What founders should check
- The programme does not publish how much equity it takes. Ask before you accept a place.
- It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
- It runs in person in Alexandria. Plan to be there for the length of the programme.
- Dates for the next cohort are not published. Local and national competitions run through the calendar year in cities worldwide; the Global Finals are typically held in June.
Similar pitch competitions
Other pitch competitions that share a sector with Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) or run in the United States.
Harvard President's Innovation Challenge
Harvard's annual venture competition for student founders from all 13 schools and select alumni. Winners share more than US$500,000, with advising and pitch coaching along the way.
Funding not published · equity not published
Open · closes 8 Dec 2026PIC 2027: applications close 8 December 2026.
MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
A student-run competition at MIT in three stages from December to May: Pitch, Accelerate and Launch. The Launch winner takes a US$100,000 grand prize.
US$100k prize · equity-free
Open · closes 28 Oct 2026Pitch 2026: applications opened 14 October 2026 and close 28 October 2026; the programme starts 2 December 2026.
Rice Business Plan Competition
A student startup competition at Rice University in Houston. Invited university teams compete over three days for investment and cash prizes, and every team wins at least one prize.
Funding not published · equity not published
Opens 9 Nov 2026RBPC 2027: applications open 9 November 2026 and close 29 January 2027; the programme starts 8 April 2027.
Startup World Cup
A global pitch competition run through more than 100 regional events; regional champions pitch at a grand finale in San Francisco for a US$1M investment prize.
US$1m invested · equity not published
Status unknown
SXSW Pitch
An annual startup showcase at SXSW in Austin where selected finalists pitch new technology to judges and investors across eight technology categories, plus a student category.
Funding not published · equity not published
Open · closes 13 Nov 2026SXSW Pitch 2027: applications opened 23 June 2026 and close 13 November 2026; the programme starts 16 March 2027.
Run this programme?
Send us your next dates and terms and we will update the listing from your own pages, free.