Western Michigan University is bringing back the Cultivate 269 business pitch competition, with submissions open now and judging set for the spring of 2027. Student entrepreneurs will compete to win a total of $100,000 in prizes.
Cultivate 269 is organized by the investment firm Kalamazoo Forward Ventures in partnership with Western Michigan University. Students can submit their business ideas on the Cultivate 269 website, where fellow WMU students can vote for their favorites.
The name of the competition is a reference to Kalamazoo’s area code, 269.
Last year’s inaugural competition saw 49 students pitch business ideas and over 2,000 students cast votes. Submissions ranged from restaurant startups to AI-powered management software. Last year’s winner was Samuel Marseille, founder of OneShot AI, a language-interpreting software to facilitate translations between patients and physicians.
Nine finalists — four nominated by student vote, and five by judges — will be selected to present their pitches in front of a live audience in April. The panel of judges will choose the winner of the $75,000 prize, and a live audience vote will determine the winner of the $25,000 prize.
Entrepreneurs will put the funds toward marketing materials, product development, and other necessary expenditures to kick off their business. If a finalist wins both the panel judge and live audience votes, as was the case with Marseille last year, they can take home the full $100,000.
Along with the prize money, finalists are given career guidance from industry professionals while maintaining full ownership of their own businesses.
The nine finalists will have just six minutes each to pitch their business ideas.