ELEVATOR PITCH COMPETITION - 2026

The University of Wisconsin - Whitewater CEO Warhawk Elevator Pitch Competition is an exciting, educational experience and is intended to challenge students’ creativity and business skills. Your idea may or may not be executable and just because you present an idea does not mean that you have to pursue the creation of the company. The main goal is to educate you on the process of developing a well-organized presentation on a creative business idea or non-profit organization.

Who is Eligible?

Students who have an idea for a for-profit business idea(s)
Students who have an idea for a non-profit organization
Students who want to learn more about the process of pitching a business opportunity
Students interested in enhancing their presentation skills
Students who want to demonstrate their ability to clearly communicate an idea to a group
Students who are looking for support for their opportunity
Students who want to compete for cash

Any current UW-Whitewater student from any area of study is welcome to participate in the competition.

What is the Objective?

Create an opportunity for students to present their business venture or idea in an environment that promotes new venture creation and the spirit of Entrepreneurship
Award students of the merits of presenting their ideas with cash prizes
Give students a chance to showcase their talent and passion for Entrepreneurship
Teams shall develop a 90 second action-oriented pitch about a business designed to sell the idea of the business to another as if they were in the elevator with an angel investor

What are the Guidelines?

You must be a part time or full time student at UW-Whitewater
Teams are encouraged, however only one speaker may present the pitch
You will have 90 seconds to give your pitch
No note cards or PowerPoint may be used during the competition; it’s only 90 seconds (max) and should be done by memory
Judges may ask up to 2 questions with responses less than 1 minute
The presenter can have up to 1 additional person during the answer portion
The order of the pitches will be randomly selected before the competition
Please notify us if you have to leave early for night class

COMPETITION:
When: October 14, 2026
Where: Hyland Hall 2203 (Baker Tilly Auditorium)
Time: 5:15 PM
Prizes:
A panel of judges shall select the three overall best pitches presented during the competition.
Elevator Pitch Final Round Prizes: 1st: Free trip to CEO Nationals ($500 value) 2nd: $200 (Tuition credit) 3rd: $100 (tuition credit)
The winner of the competition will be given the opportunity to present at the CEO Global Conference to compete for nearly $20,000 in prizes!
ENTRY deadline(s):
UW-W CEO Elevator Pitch Competition: The deadline to enter is Monday, October 12, at noon. Click here for the ENTRY FORM.
CEO Global Competition Deadline: Sunday, October 18, 2026 - If you want feedback on your entry prior to submitting it to CEO Global, copy and paste the questions into a Word document, type in your answers, and send it to ceo@uww.edu by Friday, October 9. We will provide feedback prior to the October 18 deadline. Click here for the CEO Global Competition entry form. Now open to graduate students!

Judging and Scoring:

Presentation Content: Identify the market, problem, product/service and how it solves the problem, market niche, market size, competitors, competitive advantage, milestones to date, investment needed (if needed).
Presentation Delivery: Articulate, good posture, eye contact, hand gestures, well prepared, convincing and confident, did not exceed 90 seconds and reasonable pace.
Note: After exceeding 90 seconds, 1 point shall be deducted each second
Judges will use a scoring sheet provided by UWW CEO administrative team that will be tallied at the conclusion of each presentation during the Competition.
Repeat Pitches: Please note that if a startup/startup idea "places" in the Elevator Pitch Competition(receives an award 1st, 2nd or 3rd) that startup CANNOT pitch in the same event in the future. The same student could pitch another startup idea. The same startup idea could be pitched again if they did "NOT" place.