Sept 30 – Dec 31
[closed for 2026-27]
Nov 11 – Jan 31
Feb 26
Mar 2
Apr 22 – Apr 24
WHAT YOU GET
More than a prize check.
Money to grow your venture, plus the people and practice that make the next pitch better.
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps from idea to stage.
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Build your pitch
Make a pitch deck and a short video. Templates, guides and examples are in the resource library.
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Submit your venture
Submit between November and January. Judges score every entry, and every team gets feedback on its venture.
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Pitch live in Minneapolis
The Top 25 compete in April across four competitions for $250,000 in cash prizes.
Not sure if e-Fest is for you?
“Our venture isn’t ready yet.”
e-Fest is built for early ventures, from seed to early growth. Every team gets feedback, so submitting is how you find out what “ready” looks like and what to work on next.
“We can’t compete with the big programs.”
Every entry is scored against the same standard. More than 200 colleges and universities and 60+ majors have competed. The work gets judged, not the school name.
“It’s a lot of work for a long shot.”
The entry is a pitch video and a deck, the same materials you need anyway. Whether or not you make the Top 25, you walk away with feedback on your venture.
Advisors: “Is this worth my students’ time?”
It gives student entrepreneurs a real standard to build toward and outside feedback on their venture, plus a national community of advisors doing the same work.
E-FEST 2026 CHAMPIONS
Meet last year’s winners.
Grand Champion· Michigan State University
BioMex
Advanced surgical mesh designed to improve healing, support tissue integration, and reduce complications.
Second Place · Rowan University
Bobica Bars
Bringing smoothie bowl superfoods to a convenient, shelf-stable granola bar with a signature superfood glaze.
Third Place · Florida Gulf Coast University
GG Entertainment
Creating easy-to-learn tabletop games that bring people together through play and connection.
ALL FOR LIGHTBULB MOMENTS
Great ventures start with a founder’s idea. They go further with the right people and resources behind them.
Since 2017, e-Fest has brought student entrepreneurs together with the advisors, judges and partners who back them. The idea stays the founder’s. We bring the stage, the stakes and the people.
- $2M+ in cash prizes awarded
- 200+ colleges and universities
- 60+ undergraduate majors
- 1,100+ ventures pitched
POWERED BY COMMUNITY
Founders take the stage that community made possible.
Faculty advisors
Guide a student team to the national stage.
Judges
Bring your experience to the online or in-person rounds.
Mentors & speakers
Lead a workshop or coach finalists before they pitch.
Sponsors
Fund the prizes and programs that back student entrepreneurs.
PARTNER PROGRAMS
Tell us your vision for your campus. We’ll help fuel it.
Development Awards fund the campus programs that develop student entrepreneurs, whether or not a team pitches this year.
FREE GUIDES
Start with the right guide.
FOR STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS
How to Avoid Making a Cringy Pitch: 10 tips from an e-Fest judge
FOR ADVISORS
Roadmap to e-Fest
We’ll also let you know when submissions open.
“e-Fest helped us become more confident in presenting Bobica and communicating our vision. The feedback and connections encouraged us to think bigger and helped us better prepare for conversations with buyers, partners, and investors.”
Harrison Nastasi, e-Fest 2026 Finalist, Second Place · Bobcat Bars, Rowan University
Based at the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, University of St. Thomas, in partnership with EIX.
