Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.
A prize competition - but for your Farm Dog.
Also, if you have ~$250,000 to spare, register for a Generic Top-Level Domain through ICANN.
~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
Patriot Pitch Competition – $1,000,000 total pool
US; All businesses | Jun 10 | Apply Here
ENTREFest Pitch Competition – $15,000 total pool
Iowa | Jun 12 | Apply Here
NOBIC’s BioChallenge Pitch Competition – $100,000
US; NeuroTech; BioTech | July 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
The Power of the Pitch – Recognition
Canada; Women-Led | July 31 (my guess) | Apply Here
Pitch at Venture Atlanta – Pitch to investors
Southeast US; All startups | Aug 7 | Apply Here
Startup Fair 2026 Pitch Battle – Pitch to investors
All startups | Aug 13 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
MIT Solve Global Challenge – $850,000 total pool
Carbon; Climate Tech; Equity; Healthcare; AI | May 21 | Apply Here
Trust by Design Fintech Challenge – $80,000 total pool
FinTech; Women-focused; Payments | May 22 | Apply Here
Infineon Startup Challenge – Prototyping kit
Humanoid robotics; Sensors | May 27 | Apply Here
Zinemaldia Startup Challenge – €23,000 total pool
Europe; Audiovisual Tech | Jun 5 | Apply Here
DayOne Innovation Catalyst - openEHR – CHF 10,000
Digital Health; Virtual Care | Jun 19 | Apply Here
IBM Sports Tech Startup Challenge – $100,000 Proof of Concept
Sports Tech | Jun 30 (my guess) | Apply Here
2026 RunSpace Innovation Challenge – NT$600,000 total pool
Taiwan; Satellites; SpaceTech | Jun 30 | Apply Here
Developpp Ventures Ideas Competition 2026 – €100,000
Africa; SDGs | Jun 30 | Apply Here
L’Oreal Big Bang Beaty Tech Innovation Program – Co-Pilot with L’Oreal
SAPMENA; AI; Beauty Tech; Connected Brand | July 3 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
Zero Project Awards 2027 – Recognition
Independent living; Assistive Technology | Jun 21 | Apply Here
Open Banking Expo Awards – Recognition
Open finance; Smart Data; FinTech | July 22 | Apply Here
Closing Soon! Last Chance!
🤩 These lists get to be pretty long! View the full list - including all 20+ Last Chance Opportunities - by signing up here.
Open Horizons Open Call – €55,000
EU; Women-led; Deep Tech; GreenTech; Blockchain | May 19 | Apply Here
iF Social Impact Prize – €100,000 total pool
UNSDG’s; Design-related | May 20 | Apply Here
MIT Solve Global Challenge – $850,000 total pool
Carbon; Climate Tech; Equity; Healthcare; AI | May 21 | 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 operations 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.
