Business Pitch Competition

Pitch and Support at the 2026 SCU Business Pitch Competition

Join us for one of the most energizing nights of entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University - the 2026 Business Pitch Competition, hosted by Ciocca Center’s Bronco Ventures.

Whether you are building a startup, exploring an idea, or passionate about supporting the SCU innovation community, we invite you to pitch, attend, and cheer on fellow Broncos.

Friday, May 15, 2026

4:00 pm
Adobe Lodge, Santa Clara University

Participants: by April 26th!

Guests: by May 11th!

Participants: Pitch Your Venture

We welcome participation from: undergraduate and graduate students at 51�Թ� and across Jesuit Universities, faculty, staff, and alumni. Selected teams will deliver a 3-minute pitch to a panel of active investors and experienced entrepreneurs, receive live feedback, and compete for cash prizes and entrepreneurial perks. The winner of the undergraduate track will go on to compete against students from other Jesuit universities on SCU campus that same night!

Why pitch?

Gain exposure to investors and venture leaders
Receive expert feedback to strengthen your startup
Build credibility and momentum for your venture
Join the Bronco Ventures and larger Jesuit University founder community

Guests: Come Support & Be Inspired

Not pitching? Come experience the excitement and support fellow Bronco founders!

Throughout the evening, you will:

Watch live startup pitches across multiple SCU and Jesuit University tracks
Meet student, faculty, and alumni founders
Connect with investors, mentors, and innovation leaders
Celebrate the creativity and impact of the SCU community

Food and beverages will be provided, and guests are welcome to stay and watch multiple competition sessions, including the Jesuit University round, where multiple Jesuit Universities will pitch alongside SCU’s undergraduate first place winner.

Eligibility and Scoring Criteria

What makes me eligible to compete
- Teams must include at least 1 active members
- All SCU students are welcome to participate
- The proposed business should be fundable and for-profit
- The proposed business plan/pitch should not be in violation of any IP right. This is what we will be reviewing after applications are submitted.
What should my business pitch look like?
- Your company/team should submit a 3 minute presentation online. If selected, your face to face pitch will also be 3 minutes long, and we will allow for 2 judge questions.
What are my best chances? How do I succeed?
- Practice makes perfect here. Make sure to get with your team and complete some run throughs. Send them in for feedback, we are happy to work with you! Pitchtape makes it easy for you to follow along with pitch prompts and record with your entire group!
- Know that the company idea is equally as important as the actual pitch. Judging will be based on the quality of your product/service/solution, market opportunities and competition, fundability, overall attractiveness of the venture and quality of the pitch presentation.
How will our company's pitch be scored or judged?
- You will be scored by the following criteria on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)
  - Business Description: Hook/Intro, Innovativeness, and Product or Service Analysis
  - Competitive Analysis: Market opportunities, Solution, and Competition
  - Quality of the pitch/presentation: Persuasiveness, Time
  - Special Mentions: Social Benefit and Most Interdisciplinary
- Judges will review the pitches on the Pitchtape portal and will be able to provide comments and feedback

Awards and Prizes

Over $20,000 in cash prizes total will be awarded
Prizes will be awarded for each of the tracks: Graduate, Undergraduate, Alumni, High School, and Jesuit University