2025 $100K pitch

Event Details

The 7th annual MSU $100K Venture Competition will be Tuesday, April 21, 2026 from 5:00-7:00 pm in Inspiration Hall, in Norm Asbjornson Hall.

Eligibility & Application Process

  • Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers, post docs, and recent alumni (2025 graduates) at these campuses: Montana State University - Bozeman, Billings, and Northern; and University of Montana - Missoula, Western, and Montana Technological University.
  • Venture award winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th place, or a special award greater than $5,000) from a previous MSU $100K Venture Competitions are not eligible to compete.
  • Applicants must be co-founder and/or business owner of the venture.
  • Venture must not have received any institutional funding (Venture Capital or Angel) at this time, but existing funding from family or friends and grants including SBIR/STTR or other MSU/UM/MontanaTech grant funding are allowed.
  • All types of ventures are welcome, including but not limited to new products, services, non-profit ventures, and social impact focus.
  • The three tracks for the competition will include the following: Social Impact, Deep Tech or University based research, and Traditional venture Note: You will self select a track in your application, but applicants may be shifted in categories by our judges during review. 

*If you do not qualify to compete in this event, we have other services available and would love to connect with you. Please contact us at info@msulaunchpad.org or click here to schedule a meeting with the LaunchPad.

Application deadline is Sunday, March 29 at 11:59 pm.

Stay tuned for the application link!

 

We recommend you login / create an application account and review the application and questions sooner than later. You will be able to save drafts of your application prior to your final submission.

Additionally, your team is encouraged you to use our Launchpad as a resource to discuss your Venture and the application.  You can schedule a meeting here: http://www.montana.edu/launchpad/schedule.html.

Our judges will review all submissions and select a group of semi-finalists. 

All semi finalists and finalists willrequire a presentation coaching session prior to semi-finalist and finalist rounds. 

The finalists will present Ventures on April 21th. This event is open to the public for viewing and we will be featuring several Montana and regional business leaders and investors as our judges!

Timeline

February 12th: Applications Open

March 29th, 11:59 pm: Applications Due

March 30th - April 3rd: Application Review 

April 3rd: Semi-Finalists notified

Week of April 13th: Semi-Finalist Round (Virtual) 

April 21st, 5 pm-7 pm: Finals MSU $100K Venture Competition, Inspiration Hall

Prizes

This unique event will feature $100,000 in prize money as well as access to experienced entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and numerous network resources. Planned awards in each track will be: 1st place ($20K), 2nd place ($10K), and Honorable Mention ($3.3K). Aside from monetary prizes, participants will receive valuable feedback from judges and capture the attention of investors, potential customers, and supporters.

Need Assistance?

Schedule an appointment with the LaunchPad for venture coaching: https://www.montana.edu/launchpad/schedule.html

Questions? Contact the LaunchPad: info@msulaunchpad.org or 406-994-4383.

 

Click here to view past events and winners.