Research guides: Entrepreneurship: Pitch Competitions List

Pitch Competitions List

The following is a list of pitch competitions U of T students can enter to win money and other prizes to support their startups. Some are student-focused and others are open to the public.

Due to varying application cycles, some competitions on this list may be out of date by a year. Please check the individual pitch competition site for deadlines, eligibility and other key information.

Inclusion on this page is not an endorsement by University of Toronto Libraries. Are we missing something? Let me know at carey.toane@utoronto.ca to have it added to the list.

List of Pitch Competitions

University of Toronto Pitch Competitions

Adams Sustainability Innovation Prize
Annual competition offering $25,500 in prizes to accelerate U of T’s most innovative sustainability ideas for market-based products or social innovation solutions. At least one founder must be a current U of T student, post doc, or a recent alum
FemSTEM
Host: Health Innovation Hub
Part of H2i's FemSTEM program, which looks to inspire, engage, and celebrate women entrepreneurs in the health innovation space. The 2022 pitch competition featured $40,000 in cash and prizes.
Hatchery Pitch-A-Thon
Host: Entrepreneurship Hatchery
Be guided by Hatchery mentors to craft your 60-second pitch, then present your pitch to founders from Y Combinator and the Hatchery.
ICUBE PITCH with a Twist
Host: ICUBE
PITCH showcases innovation and entrepreneurship from University of Toronto, Sheridan College, and our greater community. Focusing on early-stage ventures, we bring together innovators from a variety of sectors to pitch their businesses for cash prizes and in-kind support.
With a panel of women-identifying judges and all the people pitching will be women-identifying, coming in from two streams of ideas and early stage startups, come celebrate creativity and entrepreneurship for all.
Pitch Perfect
Host: Health Innovation Hub (H2i)
H2i’s Pitch Perfect Competition celebrates and supports student innovations on Health Matters. Six early stage innovations will be selected for the pitch competition where three Student Innovation Fellowships of $5,000 will be awarded.
Schwartz Reisman Fellowships
Host: U of T
Up to 15 U of T graduate students and 4 U of T faculty members will be appointed for a one-year term. Graduate students will receive $7,500 and faculty $25,000 in research project support.
U of T Entrepreneurship Startup Prize
Host: U of T Entrepreneurship
Annual business pitch competition offering $100,000+ in prizes to the University of Toronto’s most innovative student startups. Open to all faculties, if least one founder is a current full-time U of T student or recent alumni.
U of T PRIDE PITCH
Host: ICUBE UTM
Students from all three campuses are welcome to apply for #UofTPRIDEPITCH – a competition that offers $5,000 in cash prizes to recognize, reward and accelerate the U of T’s LGBTQ2S+ entrepreneurs. Selected individuals or teams will compete by showcasing their idea to a panel of judges.
UTSC Startup Competition
Host: The Hub, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus
Selection process for determining residence within The Hub. Successful students are provided with funds and resources for moving their idea forward, including up to $7,000.

Student & Alumni Competitions

AAGEF Ontario Entrepreneur Challenge
Host: Association des Alumni des Grands Ecoles Francaises
Pitch competition and networking event with live voting and awards. The 2020 event will be held online in November.

Healthcare Competitions

Cyclica Academic Partnership Program
Host: Cyclica & partners
CAPP aims to empower academic research experts with computational medicinal chemistry technologies to accelerate small molecule drug discoveries. Cyclica is seeking to support labs with: Strong biological and disease area expertise, Entrepreneurial, Collaborative in nature, Good publication and funding track record with scientific support, funding support, commercialization opportunities, & a path to venture capital & biotech companies.
Medicine by Design: The Grand Questions
Host: Medicine by Design
Researchers are invited to submit proposals addressing one of the Grand Questions developed with investigators at U of T and its affiliated hospitals and Medicine by Design’s Scientific Advisory Board. Successful teams will receive up to $1 million each. The questions change every year.
OBI ONtrepreneurs program
Host: Ontario Brain Institute
Canada's single largest award that catalyzes early stage entrepreneurs to commercialize brain-related technologies by accessing funding and support to launch or grow their neurotechnology ventures.
Procurement by Co-design
Host: MaRS and Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services
Healthcare providers post challenges and participants respond with “innovation briefs” to address those challenges.
MaRS Climate Impact
MaRS Climate Impact is a new innovation conference that leverages business and private capital for social good. MaRS is recruiting 10 climate tech ventures to pitch to investors.

Additional Competition Lists:

Student & Alumni Competitions

Next36
Host: NEXT Canada
Compete to be one of 36 of the most entrepreneurial undergrads and recent grads from coast-to-coast.
Applications for the next cohort open August 2021.
The Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition
Host: Queen’s University
Over $80,000 in prizes to be won. Open to all full-time undergraduate students in Canada & internationally, in teams of up to 4.

Government & Social Innovation Competitions

Cooperathon
Host: Desjardins
The largest open innovation competition in Canada. Find innovative solutions to several socio-economic challenges & compete for over $100,000 in prizes.
Grand Challenges Canada
Host: Government of Canada
Funded by the Government of Canada and other partners, Grand Challenges Canada funds innovators in low- and middle-income countries and Canada. The bold ideas Grand Challenges Canada supports integrate science and technology, social and business innovation.

General Competitions

Dragon's Den
Host: CBC
Pitch business concepts/products to a panel of Canadian business moguls on television. Virtual auditions are open.
TiEQuest
Host: TiE
Open to startups at all stages across Canada. Receive advice from industry professionals, network with angel investors, venture capitalists, fund managers, & other professionals. $50,000 grand prize.
Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP)
Genome Canada’s GAPP competition promotes the commercialization and translation of genomics-derived technologies.

Student Competitions

Ericsson Innovation Awards
Host: Ericsson
Global competition that gives students the opportunity to develop innovative ICT projects in collaboration with Ericsson experts,
Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge
Teams of graduate students from around the world are invited to develop and pitch creative financial approaches to tackle pressing social and environmental challenges.
MIT-Rabobank Food and Agribusiness Innovation Prize
Host: MIT & Rabobank
Open to all North American university students developing new products or technologies to improve sustainability in our food system. Compete for funding ($30,000 USD) and industry mentorship to help winning teams successfully grow their ventures.
Rice Business Plan Competition
Host: Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Rice University
Billed as the world’s richest and largest graduate-level student startup competition, this competition welcomes student teams from around the world. Must have at least one graduate student on your team. Consists of 42 teams from around the world competing for more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes.
Hult Prize
Host: Clinton Global Initiative
Students who want to change the world are being invited to compete for the Hult Prize. The target social impact area of focus changes every year.

Health, Science & Technology Competitions

The Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge
Host: Hello Tomorrow
Startup competition designed specifically for science and deeptech entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies. Startups gain visibility & connections in the deeptech network, one-on-one meetings with VCs & CVCs and the chance to win up to €100K equity-free funding.
One Pager: BlockHack Global
Host: CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) and Toronto Metropolitan University
Teams are invited to refine their blockchain-related projects through challenges, and the top 10 will pitch to investors.
QuickFire and QuickPitch Challenges
Host: Johnson & Johnson Innovation
A prize or a series of prizes to the person or team(s) who submits the best biotech technology or solution to key challenges that address the healthcare issues of interest to Johnson & Johnson. Each challenge has its own prize amount, terms and conditions.

Social Innovation Competitions

Racial Equity 2030
Host: Kellogg Foundation
A $90 million global call for ideas that transform systems & institutions that uphold political, social, economic, or institutional inequity within the next decade. Applications accepted from established organizations. Register by Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
XPrize
Host: XPrize Foundation
Scientists, engineers, academics, entrepreneurs and other innovators with new ideas from all over the world are invited to form teams and compete. XPrize offers a variety of prizes and competitions addressing current global issues.
Google.org Impact Challenges
Host: Google
Looks for nonprofits and social enterprises with ideas that can create change at the pace and scale the world needs today. The best and boldest ideas are given a strategic package of funding, mentorship, and technical support.

Industry Competitions

Global Automotive and Mobility Innovation Challenge (GAMIC)
Host: SAE International & WCX™ Congress
Annual competition for early-stage automotive products/ systems and mobility companies with new and innovative technologies. Early-stage automotive and mobility companies with a new technology are invited to apply.
Paint the Future
Host: AzkoNobel
AkzoNobel is a global leader in the paints & coating industry, challenging you to go beyond traditional paints & coatings. Think about the endless possibilities of every surface in the world and what new technologies and solutions we can introduce and scale together. Open to startups, scale-ups, university or research institutes with solutions ready to apply at a larger scale.
SXSW Accelerator and Pitch Competition
Host: South By SouthWest Interactive
A live audience, as well as a panel of expert judges, will discover advancements in various sectors of emerging technology.

Credit

This page has been updated by Gerstein GSLA Kieran Menzies McGarry.

Gerstein Science Information Centre

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship Librarian

Pitch Competitions List

See also:

List of Pitch Competitions

University of Toronto Pitch Competitions

Student & Alumni Competitions

Healthcare Competitions

Additional Competition Lists:

Student & Alumni Competitions

Government & Social Innovation Competitions

General Competitions

Student Competitions

Health, Science & Technology Competitions

Social Innovation Competitions

Industry Competitions

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