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.
