2025 $100K pitch

Event Details

The 7th annual MSU $100K Venture Competition will be Tuesday, April 21, 2026 from 5:00-7:00 pm in Inspiration Hall, in Norm Asbjornson Hall.

Your Finalists

The finalists for the three competition tracks and submitted descriptions of their projects are as follows:  

Deep Tech/University Based Research  

  • Barley Bloom, creating high-value, flavorful, functional food ingredients from barley for a growing global market. 
  • Beeotics, whose product is designed to boost the honeybee immune system and provide protection against disease. 
  • Ocka, which identifies each student’s strengths and weaknesses to deliver targeted, evidence-based instruction on what they need to learn next. 

Social Impact

  • Coincident Systems, which builds coordination and decision-making infrastructure that helps rural health care facilities work together across large distances. 
  • Empress of Ghee, which aims to make premium, grass-fed ghee a staple in every cupboard. 
  • indelible.Blob, building the protocol for reality, this solution creates proof for every image the moment it's captured, helping people differentiate between real and fake images. 

Traditional Venture

  • COPILOT by Big Sky Dynamics, developing the first edge-AI cockpit adviser for general aviation pilots, providing real-time spoken guidance during emergencies and critical phases of flight to prevent accidents and save lives. 
  • Modulus, engineers daily carry bags that eliminate failure points through intentional design and uncompromised quality. 
  • TENT, an online marketplace for handcrafted outdoor gear. 

Prizes

This unique event will feature $100,000 in prize money as well as access to experienced entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and numerous network resources. Planned awards in each track will be: 1st place ($20K), 2nd place ($10K), and Honorable Mention ($3.3K). Aside from monetary prizes, participants will receive valuable feedback from judges and capture the attention of investors, potential customers, and supporters.

Need Assistance?

Schedule an appointment with the Launchpad for venture coaching: https://www.montana.edu/launchpad/schedule.html

Questions? Contact the LaunchPad: info@msulaunchpad.org or 406-994-4383.

 

Click here to view past events and winners.