All SF State undergraduate or graduate students with an innovative business idea or startup are invited to compete in the annual Innovation Pitch Competition. This year, the top three pitches share $10,000 in cash prizes!
Whether your entrepreneurial idea is in the ideation phase or ready for angels and seed, this is a great opportunity to get feedback from seasoned entrepreneurs, investors and business faculty. Put your idea to paper and see if it’s got wings to take off! (A little prize money doesn’t hurt either!)
| First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|
| $5000 | $3000 | $2000 |
IMPORTANT DATES
- Applications Close: April 1, 2025
- Acceptance Notification: April 8, 2025
- Innovation Pitch Competition Day: April 11, 2025, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (via Zoom)
How It Works
The founder or co-founder must be a currently enrolled SF State student. The pitch competition is open to business and entrepreneurial ideas and startups from all industries and at any stage in the startup cycle.
Submit an application and pitch deck by April 1, 2025, at 5 pm.
- All entries will be reviewed, and finalists will be notified via email, on April 8, 2025.
- Selected entries will be invited to present live, in front of a panel of judges on April 11, 2025.
- Winners will be announced on the same day as the competition.
- Review the full list of Terms & Conditions.
The preliminary round of judging focuses on finding a compelling and convincing innovation or entrepreneurial story, based on what is presented on a 10-15 side pitch deck (PDF and PPT files accepted only).
The most successful entries have typically demonstrated:
- A clear value proposition for a clearly defined target market
Who is the prototypical consumer of your innovation, and why would they pay for your solution? What problem of theirs does your innovation solve? What need(s) does your innovation fulfill? - A clear explanation of how you are able to solve the consumer’s problem
How or why does your solution work? What enables your solution to fulfill customer needs better than anything/anyone else out there? - Technical proof of concept
Has a prototype or MVP been created, tested, and iterated with users? Does the technology or innovation work? How realistic and achievable is the underlying solution given the work that has already been done, the technical expertise of the founders, and the existing research and development that has already taken place? - Traction in the marketplace
Is there demonstrated product-market fit? Do you have evidence that your idea or prototype is desirable to, adopted by, or sought after by a market? - A well-articulated revenue model
How does this innovation generate revenue? What recurring revenues streams are created? Who’s paying, and how are they paying for your offering? - A founding team that is set up for success
Does the founding team have the right technical expertise to execute on the innovation? Is this something that the founders will continue to pursue after graduation?
How to Watch the Innovation Pitch Competition
Come join us virtually to help promote the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship at our University. Show your support for SFSU students with great business ideas or startups, who were selected to participate in the SFSU Innovation Pitch Competition this year!
Register now to watch the Innovation Pitch Competition on Zoom on April 11, 2025, from 3–5 p.m.
Judges
Nancy Hayes
Nancy Hayes has been an active angel investor since 2014. She serves as a mentor to entrepreneurs - with a focus on women entrepreneurs and founders of color. Nancy is a frequent guest speaker, panelist, and judge at pitch events and presenter to entrepreneur groups. She also conducts training sessions for women who are considering becoming angel/venture investors.
Nancy was a senior executive of the IBM Corporation and then served as CEO of two nonprofit organizations. She was the Dean of the College of Business at San Francisco State University for 6 years and then was Vice President of Finance/CFO of San Francisco State. Nancy was cofounder in 2013 of a rewards-based crowdfunding site for women with small businesses and later served as a Managing Director of the Golden Seeds angel group Silicon Valley chapter.
Nancy has an MBA from the University of Chicago and lives in San Francisco.
Adrian Lai
Adrian is the Principal Product Manager at Halo Collar, the leading provider of smart dog collars designed for dog safety. Before joining Halo, he served as COO at Stochastic, where he helped Fortune 500 companies develop in-house AI solutions to automate customer support. His extensive experience also includes roles as Head of Operations at Wonderschool, a prominent childcare marketplace, as well as positions at Facebook, Oculus, McKinsey, Houzz, and Spin Scooters.
Nelly Liu
Nelly Liu is a serial entrepreneur with an impressive track record in building and scaling businesses. As the Founder and CEO of Weavive, she leads a leading textile waste revival partner supplying premium feedstock for chemical recycling and manufacturing upcycled natural fiber materials, trusted by global brands like H&M and Inditex to power their supply chains with circular materials. Prior to Weavive, Nelly founded and served as the CEO of ZCycle, where she spearheaded the establishment of a 10,000 ton battery recycling facility. Under her leadership, ZCycle's team expanded to 45 members, revenue surged to USD $7M, and the company's valuation reached USD $71M. Notably, Nelly played a pivotal role in obtaining prestigious certifications from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), distinguishing ZCycle as the sole recipient among over 500 applicants in 2022.
With over 14 years of experience, Nelly excels in accelerating growth at startups, leveraging her expertise in sales, marketing, product launch, and devising new market strategies. Her remarkable abilities have facilitated successful acquisitions for three startups, further solidifying her reputation as a dynamic and results-driven entrepreneur.
Carl Fudge
Carl is the founder and CEO of Presentation Mode, a narrative strategy firm that helps founders craft world-class fundraising materials. A psychologist, MBA, and designer by training, Carl began his career in consulting at McKinsey before leading a venture studio at IDEO after graduating from MIT. He loves to partner with founders pursuing impactful missions and was most recently a VP at a healthcare incubator. Originally from London, Carl now calls the Bay Area home.
Bernard Mendoza
Bernard Mendoza is a C-level finance leader and strategic advisor with a degree in International Business from SFSU. He brings over 15 years of experience as a finance leader in the SaaS industry, supporting Sales Go-To-Market teams at both public and startup tech companies such as Marketo, Informatica, Upwork, and H2O.AI. Bernard has played key roles in successful financial exits, including Upwork’s IPO and the acquisition of Marketo by a private equity firm. Most recently, as acting Head of Finance at H2O.AI, he led a two-year financial audit with KPMG, negotiated a multimillion-dollar line of credit, and developed a three-year financial plan aimed at achieving profitability.