Pitch your business idea at OzSBI

Do you have a business idea that you would like to pitch to the community? Are you looking for quality feedback? Startup capital to launch?

A business pitch is a brief presentation of an idea for a business opportunity - think "Shark Tank" without the celebs. At OzSBI's PitchFest, participants are invited to create, refine and perfect their pitches with the guidance of seasoned business leaders.

Registration Closes: April 13, 2026

How it works:

Everyone with a business idea in our 7-county region (Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon, Texas and Wright Counties) is invited to pitch. Participants will be given clear guidance about pitch expectations and will have 6 minutes to pitch their idea to a panel of judges for feedback.

1. Round 1: April 16   Contestants will have six minutes to pitch  an idea to a panel of judges. Six finalists will be chosen for Round Two.
2. Round 2: April 23   Top six pitches from Round 1 will compete. Four contestants will be selected as finalists for PitchFest and will proceed to the competition. Finalists will have the opportunity to refine their presentations and will compete for cash and prizes at the EPIC Pitch Competition.
3. EPIC Pitch Competition: May 7   The final four finalists will pitch their ideas to the community at EPIC, our National Small Business Week Celebration, to win cash and prizes (listed below).

If desired, participants will be guided through the process of creating and refining their pitches by experienced business mentors. Each pitch will be restricted by time and judged by experienced business leaders/founders.

Participating in PitchFest will give you the unique opportunity to validate your business idea with a wide variety of business and community leaders, potential investors, future customers, and like-minded entrepreneurs. Even if you are eliminated in one of the first two rounds, you will come away with a clear, well-crafted business pitch and valuable feedback from the judges. 

Finalists Prizes:

First Prize: $1000 Cash + complimentary Website Development Digital Impact Scholarship + 1 year access to OzSBI Coworking Space + one-on-one business mentoring for a year (Total value: $3,140)

Second Prize: $500 Cash + complimentary Website Development Digital Impact Scholarship + 6 months access to OzSBI Coworking Space + one-on-one business mentoring for a year (Total value: $2,070)

Third Prize: $250 Cash + 3 months access to OzSBI Coworking Space + one-on-one business mentoring for a year (Total value: $535)

Fourth Prize: $125 Cash + 1 month access to OzSBI Coworking Space + one-on-one business mentoring for a year (Total value: $220)