The University of Baltimore’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) has opened applications for the 14th Annual Rise to the Challenge Business Pitch Competition, which invites students and recent alumni to compete for up to $30,000 in cash prizes and gain hands on experience pitching their ventures.
As UBalt’s longest-running entrepreneurship competition, Rise to the Challenge has
become a cornerstone program for founders looking to test ideas, refine business models,
and build confidence presenting to investors and industry leaders. The 2026 competition
will conclude with a in-person final on May 7, when selected finalists will present
their businesses to a panel of judges.
Rise to the Challenge supports entrepreneurs at various stages, whether they are developing
a new concept or growing an existing business. Through structured coaching and feedback,
participants learn how to articulate their value proposition, identify target customers
and evaluate market opportunities.
“Rise to the Challenge is not just about winning prize money,” said Henry Mortimer, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “It’s about helping founders learn how to clearly communicate their ideas, understand their customers, and build thriving businesses that make a positive impact on the city of Baltimore. The experience itself is often as valuable as the funding received, if not more so.”
The competition is open to:
Applicants may compete in one of two categories:
Teams may include up to five members, and participants may only submit one entry, either individually or as part of a team.
The first round of the competition requires applicants to submit:
Submissions may be revised until the application deadline. Finalists will be announced in March and will advance to the live round, where they will deliver a three-minute pitch in front of judges on May 7. Judges’ decisions are final.
We encourage applicants to apply early and take advantage of available coaching and feedback. Many of our strongest participants started out unsure of whether they were ready. What matters most is a willingness to learn and engage with the process.
Additional details, competition rules, and the application link are available through the University of Baltimore’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Applications are open now and will be accepted through February 27, 2026.
UBalt students, alumni, and community members who are not competing are invited to
attend the live final on May 7 and experience the pitches, innovation, and entrepreneurial
energy.
For Dorien the competition helped translate ideas into an investor-ready pitch.
“The pitch process helped me clearly define the problem my business solves, understand
my market opportunities, and explains how I plan to scale,” Murphy said. “It helped
turn my idea into a business story that investors could understand.”
The funding and support also had a real-life impact for Ayanna.
“Winning the funding allowed me to take unpaid maternity leave while still maintaining
business expenses and marketing,” Davis said. “It also gave me space to think strategically
about how I want to grow my business.”