America’s Startup
Awards $25,000-$50,000 in non-dilutive grants to U.S. undergraduate student founders.
America's Startup is a national collegiate pitch competition run by America250 as part of its America Innovates initiative. Individuals or small teams of up to five submit a single package — a short written proposal plus a brief pitch video — together in one session through the online portal, since only one entry per applicant or team is allowed. The Investor Council, a group of prominent founders…
Open to U.S. undergraduate students (or equivalent) at accredited colleges, universities or trade schools, applying individually or in small teams. Looking for early-stage business ideas or ventures across any industry, including founders who only have an idea and no polished company or existing funding yet.
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Guides for this application
All guides →How to Write a Grant Proposal Reviewers Can Score
Learn how to write a grant proposal around reviewer criteria, evidence, work packages, budget logic, and commercialization for deeptech and R&D funding.
DocumentsGrant Work Plan Template: Work Packages, Gantt, Milestones, and Risks
Use this grant work plan template to structure work packages, tasks, owners, deliverables, Gantt timing, dependencies, and risk registers.
DocumentsGrant Pitch Deck Example: Slides, Storyline, and Video Script
See a grant pitch deck example with slide outline, EIC-style pitch logic, demo-video script, and grant-vs-investor deck differences.
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