Program Overview
GIST Pitch Competitions strive to bring top innovators from around the globe to key entrepreneurial events where they not only can meet other high-performing innovators but are given the chance to pitch their solutions to an audience of STEM experts, investors, and policy makers. By hosting competitions at international events such as the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and Global Entrepreneurship Congress, GIST provides young innovators from emerging economies the exposure they need to raise capital, find new markets, and scale.
GIST Pitch Competitions also offer young entrepreneurs training and mentorship during the competition, and the opportunity to win startup resources from GIST partners such as Alice, Google, Microsoft, Dell, Amazon Web Services, and the U.S. Department of State.
What makes GIST Pitch Competitions unique?
The real value of our pitch competitions isn't in the prizes. Although the prizes are substantial and can bring measurable benefit to startups. The real value, though, is found in the training we provide at our events--training that helps founders validate their business model and product/market fit and better pitch this to investors after our event. We stand by this model and our commitment to seeing founders succeed long after they come through our programs.
If you have questions about GIST programming please send us an email at [email protected].
Our Competitions:
GIST Catalyst
The GIST Catalyst competition is an annual pitch competition at an event such as the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. Through the competition, young entrepreneurs have the opportunity to elevate their pitch and showcase their startups on a global stage.
GIST ASEAN
GIST's ASEAN Training & Pitch Competitions are 3-day programs of accelerated, intensive learning in the Lean Startup process followed by GIST's signature pitch competition. Participants are encouraged to engage with and understand the perspectives of potential customers to both inform the design of their product and/or business model as well as their pitch.
GIST Tech-I
The GIST Tech-I competition is an annual pitch competition for science and technology entrepreneurs from emerging economies worldwide. Since 2011, hundreds of young innovators have used Tech-I to showcase their science and technology ventures to the world.
GIST Startup Pitch Showcase for Innovative Water Solutions
Featuring the best and brightest innovators working in ocean innovation, this pitch showcase occurred as an official event at the U.N. Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal in June 2022.
Road to GES - Heartland
This regional pitch competition hosted at the Road to GES - Heartland event in March 2019 determined the regional participant who would represent the United States at the GIST Catalyst Pitch Competition at the 2019 GES in The Hague, Netherlands.
Microsoft Imagine Cup
Imagine Cup is a global competition that empowers the next generation of computer science students to team up and use their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology to create applications that shape how we live, work and play. GIST partners with Microsoft to host regional finals around the world and offer training support to competing entrepreneurs.
