The Patriot Pitch Competition, presented by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University, takes place on April 11, 2024 on Mason’s Fairfax Campus and is open to all Mason students (graduate, undergraduate, and PhD) and recent alumni regardless of field of study.
Entrepreneurial-minded George Mason University students and recent alumni have a golden opportunity to receive expert feedback, transformative mentoring, and compete for cash prizes to fund their exciting business ventures. There will be a total of $40,000 being awarded at the competition. Besides competing for the cash prizes, participants will have the invaluable opportunity of learning from successful entrepreneurs in the community. The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is committed to more inclusive entrepreneurship, and that begins with tapping into Mason’s diverse student body with their diverse perspectives and ideas.
To accommodate the wide variety of business ideas, the competition has four tracks: STEM, public engagement, social impact, and general entrepreneurship. For each track, the first-place team will be awarded $6,000 and the second-place team will win $3,000. A third prize of $1,000 will be voted on by audience members as the Mason’s Choice Awardee.
After submitting an application, the team or individual’s idea will be reviewed by a panel of entrepreneurship experts. The panel can then select up to four semi-finalists for each track. After practicing and participating in mentorship and entrepreneurship training sessions, semi-finalists will present their pitches virtually. Later, two finalists from each track will present their pitches in the Johnson Center Bistro in front of judges and audience members. This results in all finalists earning prize money which is designed to encourage a collaborative environment among the teams selected to compete in the finals.
Patriot Pitch is a platform tailored to promote and support aspiring entrepreneurs from George Mason University, creating a more inclusive entrepreneurial community. This is an early idea-phase competition open to ventures that have raised funding or received grants of less than $50,000 and have less than $100,000 in annual revenue. This is a perfect opportunity to receive expert mentoring and win cash prizes. Interested participants must submit their applications by February 16.