PitchMI opens applications for 2026-27 startup competition

LANSING, Mich. – Applications are now open for the 2026–27 PitchMI competitions. Michigan-based startups will compete in four semifinal competitions across the state, with $250,000 in prize funding awarded to each winner, plus a chance to compete in the statewide PitchMI Championship for an additional $1 million. PitchMI (pronounced “Pitch-Me”) is one of the nation’s largest founder-focused startup competitions, designed to identify and invest in Michigan’s most promising startups.

This year’s semifinal competitions represent Michigan’s strengths in four industries:

• Defense & Aerospace: Grand Rapids on Sep. 15.
• AI & Software: Kalamazoo on Sept. 22.
• Advanced Manufacturing, Materials, & Outdoors: Marquette on Sept. 24.
• Healthcare & Life Sciences: Detroit on Oct. 1.

If you’re building a high-growth startup in Michigan, learn more and apply at PitchMI.org. The application deadline is Monday, Aug. 10.

The 2026 PitchMI Championship served as the culmination of a statewide search for Michigan’s most innovative startups, highlighting the state’s commitment to fostering a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem and supporting founders who want to make a career or business in Michigan.

In total, the 2025-26 PitchMI competition awarded more than $2.3 million in investment capital. The road to the championship began in the fall of 2025 with four regional pitch events across the state, which saw 375 applications from founders in more than 100 Michigan communities. 

“PitchMI gives these entrepreneurs a stage that matches the quality of what they’re building,” said Ben Marchionna, MEDC’s Chief Innovation Ecosystem Officer following the championship. “Companies like these are how Michigan attracts and retains exceptional people, creates high-wage jobs, and builds a durable, innovation-driven economy.”

Organized by the MEDC and the MSU Research Foundation, PitchMI is designed to provide serious capital, rigorous evaluation and meaningful visibility to Michigan’s most promising startups. “PitchMI reflects our collective commitment to strengthening the innovation ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs with the capital, mentorship, and visibility they need to accelerate and scale right here in Michigan,” said David Washburn, CEO of the MSU Research Foundation.

Michigan’s entrepreneurial landscape continues to thrive with the addition of critical tools, including a $60 million investment in early-stage startups through the Michigan Innovation Fund, an R&D tax credit for small businesses, a statewide Innovation Alliance and increased access to resources to close the gap for underrepresented founders. Over the past five years, state investments in entrepreneurship and innovation helped catalyze more than 15,800 jobs and over 1,400 high-tech companies. Additionally, for every $1 the state invested, founders leveraged roughly $85 from other sources, which is an exceptional leverage ratio for public capital.

 

About the Michigan State University Research Foundation

The Michigan State University Research Foundation is an independent research and development nonprofit aligned with Michigan State University. The Foundation helps fund and advance research, technology, and startup efforts at the university and across the state by connecting researchers and entrepreneurs to the resources, relationships, and capital they need to drive real-world impact. The Foundation achieves its mission through grant programs that contribute over $15 million annually to the University, entrepreneurial programming and early-stage investments that accelerate technology transfer and startup growth throughout Michigan, and environments where startup businesses and collaborators can thrive. The Foundation’s work is made possible through its stewardship of a flexible and sustainable endowment, nourished by over 50 years of licensing revenues and investment returns. Learn more about the MSU Research Foundation and its impact at msufoundation.org.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.