
Pitch Deck Competition
The Cornell Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition is an experiential learning opportunity for student entrepreneurs who are contemplating, starting, or operating an early stage hospitality-based venture, and who are looking to improve their pitching skills, with the potential to earn seed funding for their venture.
Quick Links
Video: Cornell Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition
No business plan required for this competition.
You just need ten or fewer slides to compete, along with a great hospitality industry idea!
Students register for the competition in early fall and submit their pitch decks in October for review by a team of faculty judges. Four finalists will be selected to present in November to a panel of industry judges. The cash prizes are: winning team, $3,000, second place team, $1,500, and third place, $500.
All aspects of the competition will take place virtually this year.
For complete guidelines and information, review the official rules of the Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition or contact the Pillsbury Institute at pihe@cornell.edu or 607.255.0179.
Media Coverage
- Cornell Chronicle, November 18, 2020: Swipe, match, eat: ‘Weet’ pitches better online dating app
- Cornell Chronicle, November 27, 2019: Pitch competition rewards new ‘way’ to pay restaurants
- Cornell Chronicle, November 27, 2017: Software that keeps the faith wins pitch competition
- Cornell Chronicle, November 22, 2016: Mexican eatery idea wins ‘pitch deck’ competition


