Beyond the Deal Room
Posts
Halogen Ventures $1M--AfroTech 2025--Venture135 $200K

Halogen Ventures $1M--AfroTech 2025--Venture135 $200K

The newest grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits you need to know about

Diane Bailey
August 11, 2025

Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.

~Diane

This newsletter is now brought to you by…

💪 The Biggies

Halogen Ventures + "Meet the Drapers" Pitch Competition - $1M investment

This is your chance to pitch legendary VC Tim Draper and Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures on national TV for a shot at up to $1,000,000 in investment and exposure to over 30 million global viewers.

AfroTech Conference 2025

The annual tech event of the year for Black professionals, which has reached thousands of changemakers, innovators, and the next generation of technology leaders, is returning to Houston Oct. 27-31.

Venture135 Pitch Competition - $200K

We’re looking for: Fintech + Insurtech founders; Seed through Series B, with a heightened focus on traditionally underrepresented founders.

Catalyst by Beemok - $1M investment

Investment in Charleston area startups. More than a pitch competition – It’s a live demo event where selected finalists tell their story and show what they’ve built.

Newly Added: Grants, Pitch, Awards, Summits

🎤 CharmHealth 2025 Innovation Challenge – $10,000
HealthTech; Digital Health | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🏆 MEMA Aftermarket Technology Innovation Award – Recognition
Sustainable Mobility; AI; Transportation | Aug 15 | Apply Here

💰 2025 BMO Celebrating Women Grant Program – $10,000
Women-focused; Social impact | Aug 19 | Apply Here

🎤 Halogen Ventures, Drapers Pitch Competition – $1,000,000 investment
Alabama; All tech | Aug 31 | Apply Here

🎤 Bank of Maldives 2025 Startup Grant – MVR 500,000
Maldives; All businesses | Sept 7 | Apply Here

💰 TREE Fund John Z Duling Grant – $15,000
AgTech; Arborists; Tech transfer | Sept 15 | Apply Here

💼 Vision Expo – 5,000+ brands; Keynotes
Las Vegas; Vision Industry; MedTech | Sept 16 | Apply Here

🚀 Lift Beauty Accelerator by Rare Beauty – $10K + Pitch to JCPenney
Underrepresented; Consumer brand; CPG; Beauty | Sept 22 | Apply Here

🎤 MEST Africa MAC Pitch Competition – $50,000 + Pilot with Absa
Pan-Africa; FinTech | Sept 26 | Apply Here

💰 Dairy Business Innovation Grants – $100,000
Dairy; Food & Bev; Manufacturing | Sept 30 | Apply Here

🎤 Catalyst by Beemok Pitch Competition – $1,000,000 investment
South Carolina; All tech | Sept 30 | Apply Here

🎤 Venture135 Pitch Competition – $200,000 investment
FinTech; InsurTech; Underrepresented | Oct 3 | Apply Here

💼 MEMA Aftermarket Technology Conference – Networking; Demos
Missouri; Sustainable Mobility; EV | Oct 4 | Apply Here

💼 AfroTech 2025 – 40,000+ attendees
Houston; Black founders; All tech | Oct 26 | Apply Here

💼 EV Auto Show 2025 – 10,000+ attendees
Riyadh; EV; Sustainable Mobility; Batteries | Oct 26 | Apply Here

Closing Soon: Grants, Pitch, Awards, Summits

🎤 The Image Pitch – €150,000 in prizes
Ireland; All tech | Aug 11 | Apply Here

💰 Wren CDR Grant – $100,000
Early-stage; Carbon Dioxide Removal | Aug 11 | Apply Here

🔨 Arizona Innovation Challenge – $50,000
Arizona; SaaS | Aug 11 | Apply Here

💼 SUPERZOO – Industry’s largest pet product marketplace
Pet Tech; Las Vegas | Aug 12 | Apply Here

🎤 Age-Well National Impact Challenge – $20,000 cash & prizes
Canada; AgeTech | Aug 14 | Apply Here

🏆 Shorty Impact Awards – Recognition
Mission-driven brands, creators | Aug 14 | Apply Here

🏆 Smart Country Startup Award 2025 – Stage slot @ SCCON 2026
Public sector; Smart city; GovTech | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🎤 Alibaba CoCreate Pitch – $1M total prize pool
CPG; all products | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🎤 Distilled Intelligence Pitch Competition – $1,000,000 investment
All tech | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🏆 Global Citizen-PayPal Small Business Impact Awards – $25,000
Social Impact | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🎤 3686 Pitch Competition – $10,000
Tennessee; all tech | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🚀 Visa Accelerator Program – Exclusive accelerator
Africa; Fintech | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🎤 Finance & Accounting FATE Pitch Stage – $2,500 + pitch to investors
FinTech; Accounting; AI; CRM | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🎤 CharmHealth 2025 Innovation Challenge – $10,000
HealthTech; Digital Health | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🎤 Melamoon FACE Pitch Competition – $100,000
Canada; Black-founded | Aug 15 | Apply Here

🏆 MEMA Aftermarket Technology Innovation Award – Recognition
Sustainable Mobility; AI; Transportation | Aug 15 | Apply Here

😃 One Hour Pitch Deck: Bootstrapped founder-friendly services to get you a big step forward in your journey. Deck upgrades, grant content, or get the same due diligence reports VC’s use when screening your deck. Book a 15-min clarity call at onehourpitchdeck.com to learn more about positioning your startup for funding.

Let me know if you apply to any of these opportunities, and especially when you WIN!

Want me to feature your pitch competition, grant, or event? Reply to this email!

📣 Who am I? Your biggest cheerleader. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

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.