KPMG's Private Enterprise Tech Innovator competition is committed to discovering and supporting tech entrepreneurs who are working hard to have a positive impact.

Now in its fifth year, the KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator Competition is dedicated to bringing together the brightest minds in technology innovation across the US.

If you’re ready to showcase how your technology can make a difference in the world, this could be your moment—to challenge the status quo, introduce tech solutions through your own unique lens, and open up a window to the future.

At KPMG Private Enterprise, they’re committed to discovering and supporting US tech entrepreneurs who are working hard to have a positive impact on the future.

If you’ve developed a groundbreaking tech solution or a new tech-enabled innovation that you believe can change the world, entering the Tech Innovator Competition can help you transform that bold vision into reality. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with national and global industry experts, investors, and potential business partners.

If you're ready to push the limits and take your tech innovation to the next level, KPMG wants to hear from you!

APPLY NOW!

There’s a lot in it for you!

KPMG believes, that if you’re a tech innovator and entrepreneur, this competition is an ideal platform to profile your business. The potential benefits if you take the opportunity to compete include:

1. National and Global Exposure

Raise awareness of your innovation and your business by showcasing it on a prestigious platform to a national and global audience of industry experts, investors, potential partners and customers. Increase your company’s local profile through business and social media posts that reach tech and business influencers in your country.

2. Validation and Recognition

Enhance your credibility in the tech industry and potential investors, partners and customers by gaining recognition and validation for your innovation as a finalist (and potential winner) in country and global pitch competitions.

3. Networking opportunities

The competition is a hub for networking, fostering collaborations, and gaining insights from seasoned professionals. Connect with fellow tech innovators and join a global peer-to-peer network to share ideas and build important connections in a growing community of high-achieving tech entrepreneurs.

4. Mentorship and Guidance

Access the experience of KPMG mentors and advisers who provide valuable guidance, expertise, and mentorship to refine your innovation and navigate the challenges of scaling up your tech.

5. Media and Publicity

Gain media coverage and publicity at the regional and global level to boost your innovation's visibility and market presence and attract potential users, customers and future sources of funding.

6. Learning and Growth

From the initial application to the regional and global pitch presentations, the competition can be a significant learning experience. Feedback from judges and interactions with other participants can help refine your innovation and presentation skills.

Learn more about the KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator Competition here.

The 2025 Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) is now open for applications.

The program offers startup founders worldwide a chance to pitch on a global stage for a share of US$1.5 million in cash prizes plus additional investment opportunities and growth support.

But EWC is more than just a global pitch competition with a shot at life-changing prizes. It elevates entrepreneurs from all stages—idea-stage, early-stage, growth-stage or beyond— by providing them with tools, resources and a global community to grow their ventures.

Since launching in 2019, the Entrepreneurship World Cup has attracted 450,000 registrations from 200 countries and connected founders with over US$5M in cash prizes and another US$266M worth of free support and services.

Applications open through June 30, 2025.
Learn more at https://go.genglobal.org/oCPCeA

The Entrepreneurship World Cup is free to enter and open to innovative individuals and teams worldwide.

With categories and prizes for idea-stage, early-stage, and growth-stage ventures, the EWC customizes the resources available and ensures that competitions are conducted on equal footing and for all industries. Startups must be less than 10 years old at the date of the Global Finals.

The top 100 finalists globally will advance to pitch live at the EWC Global Finals. Finalists will be provided free transportation to participate in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2025.

The Entrepreneurship World Cup is hosted globally by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and Monsha’at.

StartupCouncil.org is an official partner of GEN and supports its global work for entrepreneurs including Entrepreneurship World Cup and the annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress.

For more information, please visit the Entrepreneurship World Cup website:
https://go.genglobal.org/oCPCeA

Are you ready to introduce your tech innovation to the world?

Now in its fifth year, the KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator Competition is dedicated to bringing together the brightest minds in technology innovation across the US.

If you’re ready to showcase how your technology can make a difference in the world, this could be your moment—to challenge the status quo, introduce tech solutions through your own unique lens, and open up a window to the future.

At KPMG Private Enterprise, they’re committed to discovering and supporting US tech entrepreneurs who are working hard to have a positive impact on the future. If you’ve developed a groundbreaking tech solution or a new tech-enabled innovation that you believe can change the world, entering the Tech Innovator Competition can help you transform that bold vision into reality. You’ll have the opportunity to connect with national and global industry experts, investors, and potential business partners.

If you're ready to push the limits and take your tech innovation to the next level, KPMG wants to hear from you!

APPLY NOW!

Who is eligible to enter the competition?

Qualifications and eligibility criteria

Applicants are typically technology entrepreneurs who are successfully making the transition from the startup phase to the next stage in the growth of their businesses. They have developed innovative, proven technologies, established robust business models, demonstrated traction and have the potential to scale up globally.

To be eligible for the competition, you must:

• Be a registered company in the country/region where the country/region final is being held.
• Have been actively operating for 7 years or less (in the current form).
• Generate revenue between US $1 million and $15 million; or have raised at least US $500,000 in equity.
• Be either a pure technology or a tech-enabled, tech-driven or tech-led business.
• Not be majority owned by a large corporate.
• Be able to conduct all pitches in English.
• Be available to pitch at a country/region semi-final event in the timeline outlined by the country of origin (if applicable).
• Available to pitch virtually at a country/region final event in the timeline outlined by the country of origin.
• If selected as a finalist, be available to pitch at the global final in November 2025.

Learn more about KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator here.

10 startups will compete for the title of OC/LA Regional Winner!

The winner goes to the Global Grand Finale in San Francisco from 10/2-10/4/2024 for a $1 million USD investment prize.

Join them Tuesday, April 30 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at UCI Beall Applied Innovation @ the Cove, 5270 California Avenue, # 100 Irvine, CA 92617.

If you love Shark Tank, you'll love this! Each startup gets 2 minutes to pitch their idea, then faces a quick 3-minute Q&A with investors. You can vote for your favorite startup. Your vote helps decide which startup goes to the big Global Grand Finale!

GET MORE EVENT INFO HERE…

Want more events?  Please see the full OC Startup Events Calendar here.

Unleash Your Potential: Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Roar into Chapman University’s Panther Cage Match Competition!

Join them at Chapman University’s Panther Cage Match Competition, an exciting event that spotlights the thrill of presenting new business ideas to savvy and seasoned investors.

Join them Friday, April 12 from 10:00AM to 2:00PM at Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics, Chapman University, 549 W. Palm Ave., Orange CA 92868.

This year, they're kicking things off with an extra dose of inspiration, featuring a special guest from Amazon Web Services (AWS), who'll share the secrets behind Amazon's culture of innovation and journey from a humble bookstore to a global innovation leader.

GET MORE EVENT INFO HERE…

Want more events?  Please see the full OC Startup Events Calendar here.

Congratulations to the Orange County winners of this year's Congressional App Challenge!

Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, the nationwide, non-partisan Congressional App Challenge competition is designed to promote innovation and encourage student engagement in computer science and coding.

This competition is hosted annually in more than 300 Congressional Districts nationwide, including here in CA-45 by Congresswoman Katie Porter's office. 

It allows middle and high school students to compete against their district peers by creating an app for mobile, tablet, or computer devices.

This Year's Orange County CA-45 Winners

Last week the winners and their families were invited to a reception hosted at the Congresswoman's office in Irvine. They got to meet Congresswoman Porter, her staff, and the judges. 

This year's competition had a very high participation rate, making Orange County the envy of many other districts.

From dozens of qualified entries, the judges selected these 3 top entries:

• First Place: Aryan Mittal of Portola High School for his app Voluntime.

• Second Place: Aniyah Shen of University High School for her app H2ERO.

• Third Place: Jason Chen and Michael Yi of Portola High School for their app CarCam.

Judges included Scott Fox of the OC Startup Council, Alexander Babayi, a former Boeing engineer, and Ahmed Dregia, a software engineer for Rivian.

Congratulations to all the successful entrants to this year's Congressional App Challenge

We look forward to their continued contributions to innovation in Orange County!

Welcome to the Most Fundable Companies Competition!

This is the annual startup competition run by Pepperdine University. 

 

Last year it reached over 4,500 companies from all 50 states, and for 2021 aims to provide even more founders with objective feedback to determine their attractiveness to potential investors.

Past list winners from 2018-2020 have collectively raised more than $67M since publication.

Every startup that completes the online Pre-Screen and Qualifier Survey learns about investor diligence and receives a free assessment of how it will be viewed by potential investors.

Companies that make the 2021 Most Fundable Companies list will be featured at a showcase event in Malibu, CA in October with national press, and profiled in a national publication (Entrepreneur Magazine in past years).

First round deadline is March 31.

Apply here: https://pepperdine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eQVHTLIhNLbdO3b

 

Do you have an idea you've always wanted to turn into a business? 

Learn how you can win your share of over $100,000 in cash and prizes and launch your own startup!

Join them Wednesday, January 13 from 5:30PM to 7:00PM via Zoom.

THE UCI NEW VENTURE COMPETITION IS KICKING OFF! Join past winners, speakers, researchers and other entrepreneurs for the 2021 New Venture Competition Kickoff.

GET MORE EVENT INFO HERE…

Want more events?  Please see the full OC Startup Events Calendar here.

IVC Team Takes 1st Place in National Business Plan Pitch Competition

Last August, the Irvine Valley College (IVC) entrepreneurship department partnered with the College Leap organization, a national non-profit founded by UC Berkeley students to increase the leadership opportunities for transferring community college students. A national business plan pitch competition was held.

Ten IVC student teams from different disciplines of study entered the competition, and seven teams pitched in the first round hosted by Irvine Valley College. After more than a month of preparation with guidance and mentorship from Professor John Russo, the lead of the entrepreneurship program at IVC, the first round produced some excellent business concepts with great student pitch decks and presentations. The first round was judged by serial entrepreneur and IVC Professor Michael Sawitz, along with IVC entrepreneurship alumni Maryam Edah Tally, and a UC Berkeley alumnus.

The teams included a migraine detection and relief app created by...

Read the rest of this article at https://www.greaterirvinechamber.com/news/latest-news/p/item/31043/ivc-team-takes-first-place-in-national-business-plan-pitch-competition.

2021 UC Startup Innovation Challenge

The UC Startup Innovation Challenge is an annual systemwide entrepreneur competition that highlights the impressive innovations of the UC community. 

Launched in 2016 by the UC Office of the President, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Office, this challenge draws student, faculty and staff participants from all ten campuses, five medical centers, three affiliated national labs, and the broader alumni entrepreneur network.

Participants will gain exposure to global funder and investor networks, increase visibility for corporate collaborations, and be reviewed by world-class VC judges.

The top five finalists of each track (Early Stage and Growth Stage) will be selected to pitch at the final showcase during the GCV Digital Forum.

One Winner of each track will be selected by venture capitalist judges at the final showcase. The contest is being held in partnership with Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s largest startup competition for entrepreneurs addressing global challenges. All applicants to the UC Startup Innovation Challenge will be automatically entered into XTC. UC Startup Innovation Challenge winners will automatically advance as finalists in XTC’s regional startup competition.

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to all startups founded by at least one UC person (student, faculty, alumni, staff, postdoc, or visiting scholar).
• Open to startups across all verticals (with particular interest for tech for good startups and diverse funding teams). Please also reference XTC Key Categories.

TRACKS

• Early Stage track for startups that have not yet raised Series A funding and are in the pre-product-market stage.
• Growth Stage track for startups that have proof points in product-market fit or have already raised Series A funding.

SOURCE: https://ucinnovationchallenge.org/

Pitch and Learn engages and educates entrepreneurs on the art of pitching to investors. 

Join them Thursday, January 30 from 5:30PM to 9:00PM at WeWork Bayview, 100 Bayview Circle, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

 

Pitch and Learn is meant to engage and educate entrepreneurs on the art of pitching to investors. Every pitching entrepreneur will have the opportunity to pitch their business, receive feedback from seasoned investors and then pitch again using investors’ input. The event is open to anyone to attend however, there are only 20 1-minute pitch tickets and only 4 3-minute pitch tickets available for entrepreneurs to pitch. 1 presenter per company.

GET MORE EVENT INFO HERE…

 Want more events?  Please see the full OC Startup Events Calendar here.