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RSAC Cybersecurity $5M--Inc. Regionals--Lightning Round $200K
The newest grants, pitch competitions, awards, and tech summits you need to know about
Diane Bailey
October 20, 2025
Hello startup people! Here’s the latest drop on Grants, Pitch Competitions, Awards, and Summits.
Well, that AWS outage was certainly fun.
~Diane
💪 The Biggies
Newly Added:
🎤 Pitch Competitions
The Lightning Round Pitch Competition – $200,000 investment
DTC; Consumer brands | Oct 30 | Apply Here
NBA All-Star Pitch Competition – $75,000
California; All tech | Oct 31 | Apply Here
SXSW EDU Launch Startup Competition – Pitch at SXSW EDU
EdTech | Nov 2 | Apply Here
Era Pitchslam II – $100,000 investment
CPG | Nov 2 | Apply Here
Collaborate Lagos 2025 – up to ₦25 million
Nigeria; CleanTech; AgTech; HealthTech | Nov 7 | Apply Here
NSpire Startup Slam – $100,000 cash and prizes
Louisiana; All tech | Nov 16 | Apply Here
2026 Oregon UAS Innovation Challenge – $9,000 + Pendleton UAS Test Range access
Oregon; Aerial platforms; Robotics; AI/ML | Dec 4 | Apply Here
💰 Grants
Chasm October Grant – $20,000
Female-led | Oct 31 | Apply Here
💼 Events
MidxMidwest – 100+ venture funds
All tech | Nov 12–13 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
RSAC 2026 Innovation Sandbox – $5,000,000 investment
Cybersecurity | Nov 14 | Apply Here
D-Prize Challenge – $20,000
Social impact | Nov 23 | Apply Here
GenAI for Good Challenge – $25,000
AI chatbots; HealthTech; AgTech; Climate Tech | Dec 1 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
The Cloud Awards – Recognition
Anything in the cloud | Oct 24 | Apply Here
Entreprenista 100 Awards – Recognition
Female-led; All business | Nov 6 | Apply Here
Edison Awards – Recognition
All business; Innovative products | Nov 14 | Apply Here
BIG Innovation Awards – Recognition
All tech and products | Nov 14 | Apply Here
Inc Regionals – Recognition
Fast-growing | Dec 12 | Apply Here
Closing Soon! Last Chance!
🎤 Pitch Competitions
Latitude59 Kenya Pitch Competition – Pitch at L59 Kenya
Africa; B2B | Oct 25 | Apply Here
💰 Grants
InnovateMass – $350,000
Massachusetts; Clean Tech | Oct 20 | Apply Here
💼 Events
Equip Expo – 1,000+ exhibits
Landscape Industry | Oct 21–24 | Apply Here
TIS Tourism Innovation Summit – 400+ speakers
Hospitality; AI; Travel | Oct 22–24 | Apply Here
EV Auto Show 2025 – 10,000+ attendees
EV; Sustainable Mobility; Batteries | Oct 27–29 | Apply Here
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 – 10,000+ attendees
All Tech | Oct 27–29 | Apply Here
AfroTech 2025 – 40,000+ attendees
Black founders; All tech | Oct 27–31 | Apply Here
🔨 Challenges
UNICEF Climate Innovation Challenge – UNICEF Venture Fund support
Social Impact; Child-centric | Oct 21 | Apply Here
I3-4 Seaweed Open Call – €60,000
Food & Bev; Cosmetics; BioTech | Oct 22 | Apply Here
SharkNinja Innovation Challenge – $25,000
Young entrepreneurs | Oct 24 | Apply Here
Indovinya Open Innovation Challenge – Co-develop with Indovinya
Sustainable beauty; Data models | Oct 26 | Apply Here
🏆 Awards
4YFN Awards 2026 – €20,000
HealthTech; FinTech; Mobile | Oct 22 | Apply Here
The Cloud Awards – Recognition
Anything in the cloud | Oct 24 | 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 6,000+ 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.
📣 Who am I? Your biggest cheerleader. Connect with me on LinkedIn.