Founders, builders, and student entrepreneurs from Lafayette to Oakley — bring your business idea to a live stage of judges, mentors, and neighbors. A regional expansion of the Diablo Valley College pitch competition, now open to the communities that surround it.
A short written application, a deck, and an optional 1-minute video. No prior experience required.
Selected by the screening panel. Finalists submit a final-draft deck and an optional 1-minute YouTube video.
Three minutes to pitch, two minutes of judges' questions. Cash prizes, audience vote, and reception.
What started as a districtwide college pitch competition is opening up. In 2026, anyone living, working, or studying in the Diablo Valley can apply.
For the past several years, the Contra Costa Community College District has hosted an annual Business Pitch Competition at DVC's Pleasant Hill campus — an evening of student founders sharing ventures spanning wellness tech, food sustainability, hardware, and student support. Past winners have gone on to pilot with Contra Costa County agencies and BART.
This year we're broadening the field. The competition is open to entrepreneurs from across the cities and towns of the Diablo Valley, with a dedicated Student Track reserved for DVC students and local high school students. Same stage. Same judges. New range of voices.
For founders, side-project builders, and small-business operators living or working anywhere in the Diablo Valley. Bring a venture at any stage — pre-launch idea, early MVP, or a real business looking for its next chapter.
For full-time and dual-enrolled DVC students and current high school students attending school in the region. Same judges, dedicated prize pool, and extra mentoring built around school schedules. This is where Leftoverly, Scholarise, and WellPulse came from.
The form goes live. Start a draft, save it, come back. We recommend submitting early — applicants who submit before Oct 12 are eligible for an optional pre-screening review.
Submit a short written application, a deck (PDF or slides link), and an optional 1-minute video. Late submissions are not accepted; the screening panel begins review the same week.
Each application is reviewed by two members of a multi-person screening panel; highest-scoring teams advance. Finalists submit a final-draft deck and an optional 1-minute public YouTube video.
Finalists are paired with mentors and given access to deck reviews, pitch coaching, financial-model review, and dry-run sessions. Optional drop-in office hours every weekday evening at the DVC business department.
Three minutes to pitch, two minutes of Q&A. Audience vote runs throughout. Winners announced live; reception immediately following with judges, mentors, and the regional founder community.
Cash prize, on-stage recognition, and an introduction round to regional investors and small-business advisors.
Cash prize and continued mentor matching post-event.
Cash prize and recognition.
Live audience vote during the final. Open to all finalists.
Prize amounts shown reflect the 2025 finals; the 2026 regional edition will scale prizes to the expanded field. Final amounts confirmed when finalists are named.
2026 panel announced in October.
Anonymous, QR-code based wellness survey giving organizations real-time insight into mental health trends while protecting individual privacy. Now piloting at the county and BART level.
Helping restaurants reduce food waste by selling surplus meals at affordable prices. Founded by a dual-enrolled DVC student and Northgate High School junior.
Helping community college students track scholarships, internships, and coursework as they prepare to transfer. Prize money funded a scholarship for underrepresented transfer students.
A voice-activated wristband focused on calm, family-centered safety alerts. Selected by audience vote on the night of the competition.
Scholarships, internships, coursework tracking, and essay help for community college students.
A platform connecting talented teens with freelance opportunities.
Investment coaching for young adults.
Diverse plush dolls empowering children to embrace their heritage.
An app that detects scam calls, messages, and emails.
Software enhancing triage accuracy with integrated patient histories.
A wristband that buzzes until you complete tasks in the app.
Keychain accessory promoting healthy habits and goal progress.
Clothing brand merging UAE heritage with California style.
A tool for easily converting owned books to audio.
Anyone 18 or older who lives, works, or studies in the Diablo Valley can apply to the Open Community track. Current DVC students and students attending high schools in the region apply through the Student Track. There are no citizenship or status requirements.
No. We accept ventures at any stage — from a single-slide concept to a registered LLC with revenue. Judging weighs originality, clarity, and potential impact more heavily than current traction, especially for early-stage teams.
Yes. Teams of 1–4 are welcome. List every team member on the application; only listed members are eligible to present on stage.
A short written form (problem, solution, customer, what's different), a pitch deck submitted as a PDF or shareable slide link, and an optional 1-minute video introducing the team. Finalists submit a final-draft deck and an optional 1-minute YouTube video by Nov 2.
Between Nov 2 and Nov 20, every finalist team is matched with one or more mentors drawn from the DVC business faculty, alumni founders, past judges, and the regional founder community. Support includes deck reviews, pitch coaching, financial-model feedback, and live dry-runs in the actual venue.
Yes. You retain 100% ownership of your venture, IP, and equity. The competition takes no equity, no fees, and no rights to your work. You grant us the right to use your name, logo, and pitch summary for promotional purposes only.
Yes — and we encourage it. The November 20 final is free to attend. Invite your family, your customers, your potential investors, and your skeptics. The audience vote is real.
Email the organizing team and we'll get back to you within two business days. Contact details are in the footer below.
Whether you're 16 and have an app idea, or 46 and ready to make the side project the main thing — this is the stage. Apply once. We'll do the rest.
