Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.
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💪 The Biggies
Newly Added:
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Gamechangers & Champions 2026 – $25,000
Kansas; All startups | Feb 13 | Apply Here
Hatch Detroit Contest – $100,000
Detroit; Brick & Mortar | Feb 27 | Apply Here
Peak26 Outdoor Innovation Pitch Competition – $50,000 services + investments
Michigan; Outdoor Recreation | Mar 3 | Apply Here
Seed the South Pitch Competition – $50,000 investment
Southeast US; All startups | Mar 6 | Apply Here
Future Leader Pitch Competition – $10,000
Michigan; All startups | Mar 16 | Apply Here
Moonshot AZ Pitch Competition – $10,000
Arizona; All startups | Mar 31 (many entries) | Apply Here
The Pitch by Deel – $1,000,000 investment
All startups | May 13 (US location) | Apply Here
💰 Grants
Detroit Startup Fund Grants – $50,000
Detroit; All businesses | Mar 2 | Apply Here
Zero Emission Grants – $5,000
Quebec; Sustainable Mobility | Mar 20 | Apply Here
💼 Events
SATShowWeek – 15,000+ attendees
Space Tech; Mil Tech; Gov Tech | Mar 23–26 | Apply Here
Bitcoin 2026 – 40,000+ attendees
Bitcoin; Crypto | Apr 27–29 | Apply Here
Startup Grind Conference – Silicon Valley – 5,000+ attendees
All startups | Apr 27–29 | Apply Here
XR Expo – Stuttgart – 1,500 attendees
XR; B2B | Apr 28–29 | Apply Here
ClimaTech – Boston – Keynotes; Facilitated networking
Climate Tech; Sustainability | May 4–5 | Apply Here
ACT Expo – Las Vegas – 12,000+ attendees
Fleet transportation; OEM | May 4–7 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
WE Empower UN SDG Challenge – Trip to UN General Assembly
UNSDGs; Women-led | Mar 8 | Apply Here
Missouri IDEA Fund Program – $500,000 investment
Missouri; Tech startups | May 5 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
Top HR Products of the Year – Feature in HR Executive magazine
HR Tech | Mar 27 | Apply Here
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award – $150,000
Renewables; Clean water | Apr 30 | Apply Here
World Food Prize Award – $500,000
Food security | May 1 | Apply Here
Closing Soon! Last Chance!
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Freedom Pitch – $100,000 investment
Human trafficking; Child Safe Tech | Feb 12 | Apply Here
Startup Battle $100,000 Pitch Competition – $100,000 total pool
Virgin Islands | Feb 12 | Apply Here
Gamechangers & Champions 2026 – $25,000
Kansas; All startups | Feb 13 | Apply Here
BlueInvest Africa Pitch Competition – Pitch at BlueInvest Africa
Africa; Blue economy; Maritime | Feb 13 | Apply Here
South Summit Pitch Competition – Pitch at South Summit Madrid
All startups | Feb 14 | Apply Here
Space Symposium Pitch Competition 2026 – Tix to Space Symposium
SpaceTech; Dual-Use Tech; MilTech | Feb 15 | Apply Here
💼 Events
TechCon SouthWest 2026 – Keynotes; Exhibitor Pavilion
AI; Life Sciences; SaaS; HardTech | Feb 11 | Apply Here
MVS2026 – Submit for Investor matching
Military Vet and Spouse | Feb 11–12 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
The Livability Challenge – Pitch to win up to S$4M in grants, investments
Asia; Urban Living; Sustainability; Decarbonization | Feb 9 | Apply Here
AI for Grid Resilience Challenge – $50,000 total pool
AI; Grid infrastructure; Energy; Cybersecurity | Feb 10 | Apply Here
Milken-Penn GSE Business Plan Competition – $40,000
EdTech; Workforce learning; AI | Feb 11 | Apply Here
Vodafone See Your Business Pitchside – €25,000 in advertising at Six Nations Championship game
Ireland; All businesses | Feb 13 | Apply Here
Avalanche Build Games – $1,000,000 total pool
Crypto; All projects | Feb 13 | Apply Here
NSS Martine Rothblatt Space Settlement Competition – $16,000
Space Tech | Feb 15 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
2026 NOW Award – Recognition
Optical; CPG; Consumer Brand | Feb 9 | Apply Here
Seafood Innovation Award 2026 – 25 000 NOK + NASF passes
Aquaculture; Climate Tech; Blue economy | Feb 10 | Apply Here
Belgium Startup Awards + Pitch – €100,000 investment
Belgium; AI; Platforms; Hardware; More | Feb 13 | 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.
🚪 Beyond the Deal Room curates grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits for 13,000+ founders, VC’s and startup organizations. Over $60M global opportunities, mostly non-dilutive, are available across all verticals each year.
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.
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