Chicago presents

The UltimateStartup Pitch Tournament

64 top Seed through Series A startups from around the world go head-to-head in the largest pitch event ever for bragging rights, the championship belt, and a big grand prize.

MARCH 23-25, 2027 · CHICAGO

Think you got what it takes?

Apply to compete →

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What's Included?

TUE · MARCH 23

Venture Crawl

Founders and investors crawl Chicago's startup spaces together before the tournament. Come as a competitor, leave with warm intros.

WED · MARCH 24

The Tournament

The high-energy 1-day pitch tournament! 64 startups compete in head-to-head playoff matchups beginning with just 1 minute in round 1, and concluding with 3 minutes in the finals -- inside a boxing ring! Plus see VC's give reverse pitches, workshops, expert panels, and an afterparty featuring a live concert with startup rapper RajNATION. It's the most fun day in entrepreneurship!

THU · MARCH 25

Investor Match Day + Community Events

Tournament competitors get 1:1 investor meetings while our community partners host workshops, panels, and mixers across the city.

Day 1 - Venture Crawl visiting five different VC offices●Day 2 - Startup Mania Tournament, only one walks out champion●Day 3 - Builder workshops, panels, and mixers from our community partners throughout Chicago●March 23 - 25, 2027 in Chicago, Illinois●Startup Mania 1 (Miami) Finalists - CarePool, Collars, COBOLpro, CirculaTech...Champion COBOL Pro from Bogota, Colombia●Startup Mania 2 (Austin) Finalists - ClearSight Therapeutics, Collars, Gym Rat, NeuroFore, oloround...Champion NeuroFore from St. Louis, Missouri●Who will win Startup Mania 3?●