Elevator Pitch Competition
Concise pitches to panels of external judges, with cash prizes and separate tracks by stage. Open to all University of Miami students.
Programs
In the classroom
An experiential, problem-driven course that teaches students how to identify, validate, and refine startup ideas. Students iterate rapidly on business models, apply customer discovery and market validation techniques, and develop a Minimum Viable Product to test whether their idea solves a real problem. Instead of a traditional business plan, the semester works toward Demo Day.
You leave with evidence about whether anyone wants what you are building.
Read more: Startup Lab
The venture carries forward and the question changes from whether anyone wants this to what stops it from repeating. Students build out the business model, unit economics, and value chain, and test the assumption that would end the company if it turned out to be wrong. The semester ends in Demo Day against a harder standard.
You leave with a business rather than a validated idea.
Coming Spring 2027
Alongside the courses
Concise pitches to panels of external judges, with cash prizes and separate tracks by stage. Open to all University of Miami students.
Hosted jointly by the Miami Business School and the College of Engineering. A problem is chosen in the first hours, and the weekend is judged on what works.
The oldest and largest of the competitions. Full ventures are judged in rounds by Industry Experts, with prizes awarded to finalists.
Dates, registration, and prize details for each competition are announced each term.