Key facts
- Type
- Competition
- Provider
- UC Davis
- Deadline
- 2/4/2027
In short
The Big Bang! Business Competition is an annual competition for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs affiliated with California higher education, offering cash prizes for top innovations across various sectors.
Big Bang Competition
By UC Davis
CompetitionAccepting applications nowApply by 2/4/2027188 days left
March - May
Competition Period
Workshops in Jan - Feb
Skill Development
Cash prizes
Awards
California higher ed affiliation
Eligibility
6 key sectors + overall innovation
Prize Categories
Overview
The Big Bang! Business Competition provides a forum for innovators to collaborate, develop, and test business ideas. It is held annually from March to May, in conjunction with a series of educational workshops designed to sharpen business skills. The competition aims to help participants grow as entrepreneurs and leaders by providing opportunities to connect with fellow innovators, apply business concepts, build teams, and expand their networks. The competition awards prizes for the overall top innovation, as well as for winning ventures in specific sectors such as Animal Health + Industry, Education + Educational Tools, Energy + Sustainability, Food + Agriculture, Human Health + Industry, and Social Entrepreneurship. Participants are encouraged to leverage the free workshop series, which covers essential topics like legal foundations, business canvas development, market validation, and pitch delivery, though workshop participation is not mandatory for competition entry. To participate, at least one founder of the team or venture must be affiliated with a California-based institution of higher education. All submissions are made through the StartupTree platform. The competition culminates in an annual Awards Ceremony where winners are announced and prizes awarded, fostering the transformation of early-stage ideas into viable companies, licensed technologies, or nonprofits.
What to build
Participants must develop and test a business idea, culminating in a series of deliverables including an executive summary, team bios, customer call summaries, mentor engagement forms, a video pitch, and detailed pitch decks.
Prizes
Overall First Place
Awarded to First Bite in 2026 for a medical device securing breathing tubes for intubated infants. Funding supports manufacturing, prototyping, testing, outreach, and patent work.
$25,000
Top innovation
Awarded to the competition's overall top innovation.
Undisclosed cash prizes
Winning ventures in specific sectors
Prizes awarded for ventures in Animal Health + Industry, Education + Educational Tools, Energy + Sustainability, Food + Agriculture, Human Health + Industry, and Social Entrepreneurship.
Undisclosed cash prizes
Key dates
- Final Registration Deadline (Round 1)Closed (2026 cycle)
- Round 2 Submission Deadline (Semifinals)April 6, 2026, 1 PM
- Dry Run Presentations (optional)May 4, 2026, 4–8 PM
- Round 3 Submission Deadline (Finals)May 11, 2026, 1 PM
- Final Presentations and JudgingMay 14, 2026
- 25th Annual Big Bang! Awards CeremonyMay 19, 2026
- 2027 Big Bang! Competition entries openDecember 2026
Eligibility
To participate in the Big Bang! Business Competition, at least one of your team or venture's founders must be affiliated with a California-based institution of higher education. The competition is designed for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs.
How to enter
- Register your team and submit deliverables through the competition platform, StartupTree, by the designated deadlines.
- Ensure at least one founder is affiliated with a California-based institution of higher education.
- Submit all required deliverables for each round by the deadlines. Emailed submissions are not accepted.
Submission requirements
- Round 1 deliverables: executive summary and team bios.
- Round 2 deliverables: customer call summary, mentor engagement form, video pitch, and detailed pitch deck.
- Round 3 deliverables: additional customer call summary and presentation pitch deck.
- Finalist teams require in-person attendance for Final Presentations and Judging, and the Awards Ceremony.
Sponsors & partners
Various generous sponsors (details on Prizes and Sponsors page)