Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.
Big shout-out to everyone who views and clicks the links - this newsletter is in the top 10% for click-through-rate of ALL beehiiv newsletters (out of 75,000 active newsletters)! Let me know how I can continue to curate the best funding opps for your startup. Remember - you can always forward this email to another founder!
~Diane
💪 The Biggies
Custom Weekly Emails: Want me to send you a custom weekly email plus get access to the full list of open opportunities? Just $9/mo Get started here.
Newly Added:
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Founder Ball Pitch Competition – $500,000 investment
Canada | May 15 | Apply Here
Verizon Super Pitch – $20,000 + Tix to FIFA World Cup
All businesses | May 18 | Apply Here
FII Innovators Pitch – Pitch at event
AI; Climate Tech; HealthTech; EdTech | May 28 | Apply Here
BIOINC 125K International Pitch Competition – $125,000 cash + prizes
BioTech | May 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
Principled Business Pitch Competition – $15,000
AI; Energy; Crypto; Consumer | Jun 2 | Apply Here
StartUp Westport PITCH – $25,000
Connecticut; All startups | Jun 12 | Apply Here
Hlth 2026 Startup Pitch Tournament – Cash + Pitch at Event
HealthTech; AgeTech | Jun 26 | Apply Here
Construction Startup Competition 2026 – Cash + Pitch to investors
Construction Tech; Precon Tech; Smart Buildings | Jun 28 | Apply Here
💰 Grants
Burroughs Wellcome Fund Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grants – $50,000
Climate Tech; Social Impact | July 23 | Apply Here
💼 Events
SubSummit - Kansas City – 1,600+ attendees
D2C; Tech; SaaS | May 13-15 | Apply Here
Black Hat USA 2026 - Las Vegas – Trainings; Briefings
Cybersecurity | Aug 1-6 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
Casey’s 2026 Innovation Summit – Pitch to Casey’s merchants
Food & Bev; CPG | May 8 | Apply Here
Nopef Nordic Project Fund – €50,000
Nordics; Sustainability | May 15 | Apply Here
Energy Tech Challengers – Recognition
APAC; Energy Tech | July 13 | Apply Here
She’s Connected by AT&T – $50,000
Women-led; All businesses | July 31 | Apply Here
Ocean Exchange Neptune Awards – $100,000
Blue Economy; CO2; Energy | Aug 7 (US Deadline) | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
EY Entrepreneur of the Year Malaysia – Recognition
Malaysia: All businesses | Jun 15 | Apply Here
Inc Best in Business Awards 2026 Riyadh – Recognition
Saudi Arabia; 40+ categories | Jun 30 | Apply Here
Pro Tool Innovation Awards – Recognition
Construction Equipment | July 29 | Apply Here
Closing Soon! Last Chance!
🎤 Pitch Competitions
NatWest Accelerator Pitch Competition – £70,000
UK; All startups | May 5 | Apply Here
Startupfest Startup Showcase – Pitch to investors
All startups | May 7 | Apply Here
💼 Events
ClimaTech - Boston – Keynotes; Facilitated networking
Climate Tech; Sustainability | May 4-5 | Apply Here
ENR FutureTech - San Francisco – Network with AEC leaders
Construction Tech | May 4-6 | Apply Here
ACT Expo - Las Vegas – 12,000+ attendees
Fleet transportation; OEM | May 4-7 | Apply Here
Finovate Spring - San Diego – 50,000+ attendees
FinTech; Financial services; RegTech | May 5-7 | Apply Here
LUXE PACK - New York – 5,300+ attendees
CPG; Packaging; Food & Bev | May 6-7 | Apply Here
Walmart Canada Growth Summit - Mississauga – Connect with Walmart Merchandising
Canada; CPG | May 7 | Apply Here
EU-Startups Summit - Malta – 2,500+ attendees
All startups | May 7-8 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
ISC3 2026 Innovation Challenge – €15,000
Sustainable materials; waste management; Renewable energy | May 4 | Apply Here
NASA Space to Soil Challenge – $100,000
Satellites; Adaptive sensing; AgTech | May 4 | Apply Here
Missouri IDEA Fund Program – $500,000 investment
Missouri; Tech startups | May 5 | Apply Here
Esomar North America - Call for Speakers – Speak at conference
AI; Data; Ethics | May 6 | Apply Here
Casey’s 2026 Innovation Summit – Pitch to Casey’s merchants
Food & Bev; CPG | May 8 | Apply Here
Beyond the Deal Room curates grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits for 13,000+ founders, VC’s and startup organizations. Over $100M global opportunities, mostly non-dilutive, are available across all verticals each year.
For Startup Organizations: Bring this list to your newsletter and community groups for FREE. Reply to this email for details.
Disclaimer: I receive no compensation for promoting any of these events. While I try to be as accurate as possible when posting requirements such as deadlines, it’s your responsibility to confirm all requirements.
📣 Who am I? Your biggest cheerleader. Startup operator, accelerator leader, and advisor to early-stage founders. Named a Top 100 Women Tech Leader (2024). I help founders tap into non-dilutive funding—grants, competitions, and beyond—to build traction between VC rounds. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
