Elevator Pitch Competition 2025

Do you have a wild idea? Do you want to win $1000 for it? To compete, you only need to pitch it to us in 90 seconds. No business plan, no slides, no entry fee, just an idea for a product or service.


Imagine entering an elevator with a potential partner or investor, with only 20 floors to spark interest. The 15th Annual Elevator Pitch Competition is designed to simulate this interaction by giving Cal Poly students a chance to pitch their ideas in 90 seconds or less.

 

Students with product ideas, awesome innovations, a genuine start-up, or just a desire to practice their presentation skills are encouraged to enter.

For the first time ever, we're structuring the competition to have finalists from each college at Cal Poly.  Enter here for a chance to represent your college in the finals!

 

To enter, you will need to fill out this application, and include a link to a YouTube video of your Elevator Pitch (90 seconds or less).



 

• There is no fee for entry.

• Entrants will have up to 90 seconds to present their idea.

• No audio, visual aids, slides, props, notes or handouts allowed.

• The entire pitch must be given by one person only.

• Registrations must be received by Friday, October 24rd at 11:59 PM.

• Submissions may be entered by teams or individuals.

• Each team or individual may enter up to three ideas.

• Each team must have at least 50% full-time students; if you are submitting as an individual, you must be a currently registered student.

• Entries must be the original work of entrants.

• Communication will be through Cal Poly e-mail address and it is the responsibility of the participants to check for correspondence.

• Ideas that have won prize money in a prior year are not eligible to participate unless significantly re-tooled. This will be a decision of the CIE team.

• Depending on the number of applications, there may be an optional semi-finalist round where you would pitch your idea in-person. This optional round would on Friday October 31st.
  
  
   
• If chosen as a finalist, the presenting member of the team must be present at the Center For Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s Forum on Thursday, November 6th. Failure to show up will result in the forfeiture of any prize won.

• Must be a currently registered student.