The season

Season 1: November 2026 to July 2027

The league is a season, not a one-day contest. Coaching, feedback and building run the whole time; the tournament is the part you can opt into.

Three dates do not move: Nov 4, Jan 20, Mar 30–31.

Season calendar

Your path through the season

  1. The league opens

    Wednesday, Nov 4, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET

    • Open league access for every enrolled founder.
    • Tournament entry opens the same day.
    • Kickoff webinar in the first week.
    • Live orientation every two weeks.

  2. Founding universities

    Season 1

    • Founding class of 13 schools.
    • Member institutions may join through Jan 19, 2027.

  3. Entry closes

    Wednesday, Jan 20, 2027

    • One deck plus one recorded pitch.
    • Ben.ai pre-scores on upload; blind human reviewers score Jan 21 – Feb 3.

  4. Rounds

    Feb 4 – Mar 1, 2027

    • Round 1: Feb 4–5. Round 2: Feb 11–12. Round 3: Feb 25–26.
    • Results posted once per round. Weekdays only.
    • Finalists announced Mar 1, 2027.

  5. Championship weekend

    Mar 30–31, 2027 · Philadelphia

    • Eight teams pitch live.
    • $100,000 in total prizes.
    • Finalist travel covered.

  6. Post-season

    Through Jul 31, 2027

    • Certificates and badges for every participant.
    • Campus impact reports delivered to each school by Jun 1.
    • Season ends Jul 31, 2027.
The field

How the bracket is built

Twelve industry brackets of eight seeded ventures, 96 in all.

Bracket format — confirm before publishing
The proposed field is twelve industry brackets of eight seeded ventures, 96 in all. The format is pending confirmation, so this diagram is for review.
Twelve industry bracketsEight seeded ventures each96 ventures
Early-bird entry — confirm
Whether an early-bird entry rate applies, and its date, is not confirmed.

League opens

Nov 4

Enter by

Jan 20

Rounds

Feb 4 – Mar 1

Philadelphia

Mar 30–31

See how ventures are scored