Open Pitch
Pays one early-stage startup $125,000 for winning a live pitch at Invest Fest.
Open Opportunity Fund runs the contest with partner Earn Your Leisure, staging the live finals on the Invest Fest stage in Atlanta in front of venture investors and business leaders who give real-time feedback. Five finalists pitch live, and the judges pick one overall winner who takes home the cash prize.
Open Pitch looks for early-stage tech companies, with hundreds of applicants competing down to five finalists. The competition frames itself around founders building in fast-moving areas like AI, finance, healthcare, logistics and education, chasing their first real shot at funding and national visibility.
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Guides for this application
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