Once a year · Global Entrepreneurship Week
Start Here Pitch Competition
Six finalists pitch live to a panel of judges for $10,000, $5,000 or $2,500 — plus a pitch opportunity with the Upper Cumberland Investment Alliance. Anyone can come and watch — it is free, but you do need a ticket.
What is on the table
- First$10,000
- Second$5,000
- Third$2,500
Every finalist
A pitch to the Upper Cumberland Investment Alliance
Which is the part that can matter more than the check.
Fan favorite · $250
Voted on by the room. Whoever wins the judges over does not necessarily win the audience over.
Run in partnership with the Tennessee Center for Rural Innovation (opens in a new tab) at Tennessee Tech, during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Just coming to watch
It is a good night out
Six founders, eight minutes each, real money on the line, in a room on Cedar Avenue. You do not need a business and you do not need an invitation, but you do need a ticket — they are free, and worth getting before the night. Doors open at 5:30pm, pitches start at 6:00pm.
You also get a vote. The Fan favorite award — $250 — is decided by the audience rather than the judges, so turning up is not a spectator sport.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 37 Cedar, 37 N Cedar Ave, Cookeville, TN.
If you are thinking about applying one day, an evening in that room will tell you more than any advice we could give you. And if you are not, it is still a good night out with people who are building something.
If you want to pitch
Applications are open. The deadline is October 28 — three weeks before the pitch — and the 6 finalists are announced on November 4, leaving two weeks to build the pitch with a coach.
How it works
- 1
Submit an application and a video before the deadline.
- 2
The Biz Foundry reviews every application and announces six finalists.
- 3
Finalists work with our business coaches to build the pitch — this part is free, and it is the part people say was worth more than the money.
- 4
Finalists pitch live to a panel of judges on the night.
Who is eligible
- In the concept or startup phase
- Planning to reach — or add — $1 million or more in revenue within three years
- Planning to grow to, or add, more than five employees within three years
- Serving a regional or national market
- Some lineage to the Upper Cumberland: started here, starting here, interested in starting here, or looking to relocate here
- Fewer than 50 employees
These are real filters rather than encouragement. If your business does not fit them, the coaching and the bootcamp are still free and still open to you.
Somebody actually wins it
2022$10,000Skip The Line
Mobile merch ordering for live events — turning every phone in the venue into a merch booth, without more staff or longer lines.
Visit Skip The Line (opens in a new tab)
2023$10,000Harmacy Hot Sauce Co.
Handmade hot sauces out of Cookeville, built on fresh ingredients and balanced heat. Went on to win The64's Best Hot Sauce in America.
Visit Harmacy Hot Sauce Co. (opens in a new tab)
2024$10,000Quantum Turf
A SaaS platform using turfgrass algorithms and AI to build tailored lawn care programs from location, soil and weather, so lawn care businesses cut costs and get better results.
- 2025$10,000
Rehabit Health
The Envision Guided Therapy System — insole sensors that help people rebuild movement and reclaim their lives after an injury or a health setback.
Visit Rehabit Health (opens in a new tab)
From past competitions
A year is enough time to become one of the six.
Coaching is free, the bootcamp runs four times a year, and the lunches are every month. Most finalists did not decide to pitch the week before the deadline.