Global Pitch

Competition Stages

FAQ

Featured Winners

Important Dates

Prize Funding

42nd Annual Global Pitch Competition


October 30 - November 1, 2025

The act of launching a new venture is the simplest path toward job security & financial freedom for any aspiring business founder. Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ have a great advantage in applying for and obtaining funding from Pitch Competitions, not to mention the lack of direct risk in launching a business. The application window for the 2025 Competition is open, click below to apply today and continue scrolling to view important dates for the competition!

Apply Now!

Competition Impact Highlights

  • Competing Businesses Created…


    95 jobs

    56 of the jobs were full-time and 39 were part-time, during their time of participation.

  • More Than...


    600 students

    apply to compete in this competition annually from all 50 states and more than 16 different countries.

  • Participants had…


    644 meeting hours

    with mentors and business advisors during the competition cycle providing guidance, feedback and inspiration for new venture launch.

  • By Participating in the Competition…


    79% of participants agree

    that they are now better prepared to address challenges in their business -and- 100% of participants indicated that they plan to continue working on their venture post competition.

  • Participating Businesses Successfully Raised...


    $229,350

    in new venture funding since the inception of their venture. These funds included $98,875 from partner pitch competitions.




Competition Stages & Rules

Eligibility

Participation in the CEO Pitch Competition is solely limited to currently registered CEO members who are undergraduate or graduate students at their respective college or university. Alumni of the institutions are not eligible to participate. Participants who advance to the Fourth & Final Round must register for, and attend, the 2025 CEO Conference in Tampa, Florida.

First Round Review – Applications close by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 3rd.

Submit your application by completing the online form on the CEO website (www.c-e-o.org). A panel of independent judges will review all submissions and begin selecting the “Top 100” based solely upon the information provided in the application. First Place finishers of member university sponsored pitch competitions will receive Automatic Entry (Auto Entry) into the “Top 100”. An online application is still required. Chapter faculty advisors must notify CEO Headquarters of their team’s Auto Entry status by Thursday, October 2nd.

Second Round Review

The “Top 100” will receive an email from CEO Global Headquarters on Tuesday October 7th notifying them of their entry into the Second Round and will be recognized on the CEO website.

A Logistics Meeting will take place for the “Top 100” on Wednesday October 8th, via Zoom, to discuss competition details. The Logistics Meeting is open to the “Top 100” teams and their faculty advisors.

“Top 100” competitors will be required to email a 90-second video of the team’s pitch to CEO’s headquarters (ceo@ut.edu) no later than 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15th. Videos must be in either “.mp4” or “.mov” format.

Third Round Review
After reviewing the video submissions, a panel of independent judges will select 20 submissions from the “Top 100” to advance to the Fourth Round.

The “Top 20” will receive an email from CEO Global Headquarters on or about Monday, October 27th notifying them of their entry into the Fourth Round and will be recognized on the CEO website.

Fourth Round Review
The “Top 20” are randomly divided into four (4) groups of five (5) and will present their pitch in-person on Friday (10/31), of the conference.

Please note, unlike the last several years, CEO is not limiting pitch participants to a preselected presentation application (e.g. Pitch Pages/Slyngshot). Instead, applicants will be allowed to use the presentation application (e.g. PowerPoint), of their choosing, if any. Full pitch decks must be emailed to CEO Headquarters (ceo@ut.edu) no later than 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29th.

Final Round

The “Top 8” finalists will pitch in-person on the main stage on Saturday (11/1) of the conference. A panel of four (4) independent judges will deliberate during the final main stage speaker presentation and will select the first, second, third & fourth place finishers.

Following the final main stage speaker, the first place ($8,000); the Second Place ($6,000); Third Place ($4,000); and Fourth Place winners ($2,000), will be announced from the main stage.

Prize money winners must email a completed IRS Form W-9 to CEO Headquarters before receiving their prize money.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

In order to participate, you must be an actively enrolled student in your university or college. You must have a feasible business idea -or- be the founder of a business with revenues. If you successfully receive prize money by placing in the top 5 finalists of the competition, you will be required to present a class schedule in your name for the current academic semester. Failure to do so will result in the loss of your prize funding and will instead be awarded to the next runner up. Both graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to participate.
Yes. If a partner is involved in the business, they may participate in all components of the competition.
A good pitch is clear, emphasizes your passion and expresses a need. All contestants must include what they plan to use the first-place winnings of $8,000 for and how it will advance their venture. 
The video pitch must be, no longer than, 90 seconds or 1 minute and 30 seconds in total length. If you are selected to the final round of the competition, you must prepare a concise 5-minute pitch. Be prepared to answer 5 minutes of Q&A from Judges.
Yes, teams may use any presentation program of their choosing (e.g. PowerPoint, Canva or Google Slides). Unlike prior years we are not requiring participants to use a particular software platform like Pitch Pages or Slyngshot.
CEO does not release the judging criteria prior to the competition, but the judges will evaluate on concept feasibility, deliverability, how well the company solves a problem, business model representation, "investability," traction and the individuals’ aptitude for new venture creation.
No, the funding provided to winners of the competition is prize funds that can be used for any purpose. Award monies are reported to the IRS as 1099-Miscellaneous income.
NOTE TO STUDENT-PARTICIPANTS: All participants should be aware of something called 35 USC 102(b), which contains a nasty "gotcha" called an "in-use or on-sale bar" to patentability. This is not legal advice, look up 35 USC 102(b) yourself. Be familiar with this. Participants might want to consider (Prior to their presentations) taking their PowerPoint or other presentation materials, printing everything on 8.5 x 11 paper and mailing this into the US Patent Office with a check for $65 (Prior to their presentations). Doing so is not a cure-all, there are many other steps necessary in the patent process but at least doing this can be somewhat helpful to somewhat prevent the nasty "gotcha" of 35 USC 102(b). Just be aware, doing nothing could harm your patent rights.
CEO will begin communicating with contestants on October 7th.  Be sure to add ceo@ut.edu, and ghertz@ut.edu to your safe sender list to ensure proper receipt of the competition participant/finalist announcement. After October 7th you will receive e-mails from CEO HQ with competition participation prompts.

Featured First Place Winners


The Pitch Experience...In their own words

Jonaie Johnson, University of Missouri - Kansas City | Founder of Interplay | 2021 Winner


“I started off my CEO journey by competing in CEO’s 2020 Global Pitch Competition. Although I made it to the Top 20, I did not make it to the Final 8. I used that experience as an opportunity to learn and fuel Interplay’s growth. Making it to the Top 20, at the very early stage I was in with the company at the time, was highly motivating. It provided me with the further validation I needed to continue developing Interplay. A year later, I pivoted Interplay’s product from a dog crate to a dog crate attachment. This strategic change filled me with confidence as I prepared to compete in CEO’s 2021 Global Pitch Competition. Placing 1st in the competition was a remarkable moment! It provided Interplay with great validation, feedback, and momentum. Following the competition, Interplay has completed beta testing for the Interplay App, developed a prototype for the revised design, and placed 1st in AfroTech’s Young Founder’s Pitch Competition. We are on track to launch our Kickstarter campaign within the next 3-4 months. Being surrounded by likeminded entrepreneurs at CEO motivated me to continue to push the limits and make a difference as I progress with my company, Interplay.”

Nick Nastasi, Rowan University | Founder of 4U Medical Designs | 2022 Winner


“The Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization 2022 Pitch Competition positively impacted 4U Medical Designs and myself in numerous ways. In the 2021 Pitch Competition, 4U Medical Designs placed in the top 100. We were in our idea stage, and we gained a lot of advice that we put to action over the next year. The 2022 Pitch Competition allowed me to display the company's growth from just an idea, to a revenue generating company. The pitch competition allowed me to structure a strong and effective pitch to display what 4U Medical Designs is accomplishing. The prize money is being put towards attending the Child Life Conference as a vendor. This conference allows us to speak in person with the people in our industry that can add our products. Another portion of prize money is for adding licensed images that hospitals have requested to us! This allows us to put more smiles on more children’s faces. We needed this funding in this growth phase to keep current clients happy as well as find new clients! We thank the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization greatly here at 4U Medical Designs."

Harrison Nastasi & Justin Iannelli, Rowan University | Founder of Bobica Bars | 2023 Winner

"Being fortunate enough to place first in the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organizations Global Pitch Competition is such an honor. We went up against some of the smartest and brilliant people I know and it is amazing to see their ideas come to life just like ours. The conference was filled with so many investors, entrepreneurs and like-minded individuals that the conversation never stops! It is truly a moment I will never forget, and this further successes Bobica Bars to put more superfoods into more peoples hands."

-Harrison Nastasi

2024 Winner
Antonio Marzoratt, Arav Tyagi, Ivan Zou | Technotonin Industries
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

“As President of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, it is truly amazing to witness these young adults pitch their concepts with such passion, creativity, and drive. Each year, I am inspired by the energy and vision our students bring to the stage. Congratulations to Antonio, Arav, and Ivan of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the founders of Technotonin Industries, for being named our 2024 Winners. Your achievement is a testament to the future of entrepreneurship and the power of bold ideas.”

— Giles Hertz, President, Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization

Apply Now

Important Dates


Applications are Open! Apply Now.

Friday, October 3: Applications Close, Submissions are Due.

Tuesday, October 7: "Top100" Competition Participants Announced.

Wednesday, October 8: "Top 100" participants logistics meeting. Open to Faculty Advisors, hosted on Zoom.

Wednesday, October 15: Deadline to submit 90-second video pitches to CEO HQ. .mp4 or .mov format only.

Monday, October 20 - Thursday, October 23: Judging to select Top 20 Semi-Finalists.

Friday, October 24: Top 20 Semi-Finalists are contacted by CEO HQ (via telephone) to verify the contestant will be in-person, in Tampa to present at the Semi-Final round on Friday, October 31. Contestants must confirm with CEO HQ.

Monday, October 27: Top 20 Semi-Finalists are announced. Contestants must register for CEO Global Conference and secure travel/lodging arrangements.

Thursday, October 30: CEO Global Conference & Pitch Competition kicks off. Tampa Hilton Downtown, Tampa, FL.

Saturday, November 1: Final Round; Live Pitches on the Main Stage of CEO Global Conference.

Prize Funding 


First Place - $8,000 

Second Place - $6,000 

Third Place - $4,000 

Fourth Place - $2,000 

Please note that all taxes on these prizes are the responsibility of the winners. Winners will receive a 1099 from the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) reflecting income equivalent to the amount of each prize awarded.

Sponsors


The competition is generously supported by: The John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Charitable Foundation, The University of Tampa, and the Hillsborough County Economic Development Innovation Initiative (EDI2).